Mutants Among Us
by Annastesia LaFayette
Summary: Marie Summers is separated from her husband. As she moves to a new town for a fresh start, she becomes enamored with her new boss who helps her through her rough patch. When she discovers his secrets, will she accept him for who he is or turn and run?
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:** Completely AU. Marie is not a mutant. Logan never got his adamantium, lost his memory or became an X-Man. Although, the X-Men and mutants do exist in this universe, just Marie or Logan aren't affiliated._

**_Mutants Among Us_**

**Chapter 1**

She sat in the small office trying her hardest to keep her knees from shaking as the manager looked over her application.

Every time he let out a "hmm" she glanced down at the nameplate on his desk. _L. Howlett - Supervisor._ He finally looked up from the application. "Hmm. You have absolutely no experience working in a warehouse. Why do you want to work here, Mrs. Summers?"

"I...uh...well...I know I don't have any experience, but I was hoping you'd give me a chance. I'm a hard worker and-"

He held a hand up to stop her. "You've only had the one job, for several years. Obviously you are a good employee to have worked in the same place for so long, but warehouse work isn't like working in a grocery store. So, why do you want to work here, in a warehouse?"

She nervously bit at her lip. "The truth is, Mr. Howlett, I just moved into town. I'm separated from my husband and going through a divorce and I need a job that pays more than what I was making at the grocery store to be able to support myself."

He looked at her application again and cocked a brow. "I agree that minimum wage would be next to impossible for a single person to make it on. You worked for the same employer almost 6 years. You never got a raise? Can you tell me why."

"It was a small store, not one of those big box, chain stores. The owner, my boss, he was a nice man, but he really couldn't afford to pay more than minimum. When me and my husband were together, it didn't matter, he has a good job and his wages pretty much paid for everything. My job was just extra money and gave me something to do to get out of the house."

He cocked a brow. "Children?"

She shook her head. "No. No kids. Does that make a difference?"

"No, not really. I just want to know if there might be incidents of absence because of children. There's several single parents here and it always seems to be the main source for missing work, that and transportation issues. You know we're not on the bus line. You have reliable transportation, don't you?"

"Yes sir. I have my own car and there's really no reason that I could foresee that would cause me to miss any work."

He let out another hmm. "Ok, well...I have other interviews today and I'll give you a call and let you know." He tossed her application onto a pile with other applications as he stood. "Thank you for coming in, Mrs. Summers."

"T-thank you, Mr. Howlett. I hope to hear from you soon." She said as she stood and shook his hand.

She got into her car and looked at the paper with the help wanted ads. Scanning through them, she circled the next place of intrest that paid decent enough before heading out to put in another application, since she didn't have a very good feeling that she would hear from Mr. Howlett again.

XXX

She had just got into the door of her apartment when the phone rang. "Hello?"

"This is Mr. Howlett from Axiom industries calling for Marie Summers."

"Y-yes! Mr. Howlett, this is Marie. How are you?" She tried to sound as cheerful as possible.

"Uh...I'm fine. How are you?"

"I'm fine. I hope you're calling with good news."

"Yes, well...I spoke with your previous employer and he gives you a glowing recommendation. He says that he hated to lose you, but understood why you needed to leave. He also told me that you were a valued employee, perfect attendance, got along with your co-workers...all the qualities I'm looking for, but I do have one concern."

She began speaking quickly. "Oh. Because I don't have experience. I understand, but I can assure you, sir, I'm a fast learner and I'm willing to do whatever it takes to learn, even if that means coming in early or staying late for extra training."

"I don't doubt that you'll pick up on things quickly enough, I mean it's not like we're saving the world or anything." He blew out a breath. "It's just that you said you're going through a divorce. Do I need to be concerned that you'll need time off for lawyers or court? Do I have to worry about your husband showing up here to cause trouble?"

"No. No sir. The divorce is uncontested. I don't think we have to go to court, just sign some papers, and my husband...or should I say, my soon to be ex-husband is about 50 miles away. I doubt he would take time to drive all the way here to cause problems."

He blew out another breath. "I'll be honest with you. I usually don't hire someone without at least some experience, but I got a good feeling about you, so I'm willing to give you a chance."

She had to bite her tongue to keep from squealing with excitement. "You won't regret this, Mr Howlett. What time should I come in? I can start tomorrow!"

"Hey, whoa. I always start new people on Mondays. Your hours will be 6 am to 2:30, Monday through Friday, but there are opportunities for overtime. It pays weekly. Will that work for you?"

"Yes! Sounds great! Ok. Monday morning then."

"Ok. Dress code is jeans, and when you get here, I'll have a uniform shirt ready for you. Oh, and steel-toe boots are required."

She bit her lip. "Um..."

"You _do_ know what steel-toes are...don't you?"

"Yes, I know what they are, but uh...I don't have any."

"Today is Thursday. Can you get some before Monday?"

"Um...about how much do they cost?" Her heart was pounding.

"Well...on the cheap end, you're looking at about 60 bucks, but if you want something comfortable, about 150 and up. I would suggest to invest the money and get something that won't murder your feet." He heard the air sucking through her teeth. "But uh, you can go for a cheap pair for now and upgrade later if that's what you need to do."

"Yeeeahhh...is it possible that I can get them when I get paid?"

He let out a small grunt. "Unfortunately you'll need them on your first day. Is there someone that can lend you the money? A friend? Family?"

She shook her head. "No, not really. I guess...maybe Scott, but I don't know how willing he would be. He isn't too intrested in helping me."

"Scott? Your husband?"

"Yeah."

He blew out another breath. "Ok...look...I don't usually do this, but like I said, I got a good feeling about you, I sort of have a sixth sense about these things. I'll float you the money and take payments from your check...say 30 dollars a week until it's paid? Can you come by tomorrow around 3 and we can get you set up?"

She nodded. "Ok. It won't get you into trouble or anything will it?"

"No, not really. Just...uh...don't tell anyone about it. I wouldn't do this for everyone, but I can tell you won't let me down. See you tomorrow at 3 then."

"3 o'clock. Thank you so much. I promise you won't regret it."

She showed up the next day at 3. He gave her a warm smile. "I've been thinking, since this is your first pair of steel-toes, I'll take you to the store and help you pick something out. These boots are very different from any pair of shoes you've ever worn and I want to make sure you get a good fit."

She nodded her head and gave a mischievous look. "Want to make sure I don't take the money and run?"

He looked at her in shock. "That never crossed my- Oh. I see...yes, your sense of humor will fit in good here." He chuckled. "Ready?"

She nodded. "Yep. Should I follow you or..."

"No, that's ok. I'll drive, if you're comfortable with that."

"That sounds good." She gave him a sweet smile.

As they drove to the store he questioned her. "So, um, I hope you don't mind my asking, but how is it that you can't come up with at least 60 bucks?"

"Oh...well like I said, I just moved here. After the deposit and first month rent, and the rest of the moving expenses...well...I'm pretty much tapped."

"Oh. I see. And um...oh! No, never mind...that's too personal."

"Why did I leave my husband?"

"Um...yeah. You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. It's personal, I understand."

"No, it's ok. He...he was having an affair. I told him it was either her or me. He chose her."

"Oh. I'm sorry about that. Well...he's a fool for letting a good thing slip through his fingers like that." He pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket then stopped himself. "Uh...you don't mind, do you?"

She shrugged. "Your truck."

He gave a small smirk at that as he lit his cigarette then offered her one, that she accepted.

At the store, he checked each pair she tried on. The first pair, he said were too loose and would rub the back of her heels, the second and third pair he deemed too tight and her feet would kill her halfway through the shift. The fourth pair, he decided were perfect.

She about had a heart attack when she saw the 230 dollar price tag. "Oh no. This is too much. Maybe I can find something cheaper." She said as she started to slip them off.

"Remember, you're making payments. These are perfect for you. A good fit, nicely padded, good construction...they'll last several years. In fact...I think I should see if they got a pair in my size. These are quality boots."

She bit her lip. "I don't know...they are expensive. What if this job doesn't work out and you fire me after the first day?"

He let out a laugh. "Don't worry about that...I promise I won't fire you until the boots are paid for at least." He gave her a wink.

Her cheeks felt a little warm as she looked down shyly. "Well...um...do they have to be brown?"

He looked over to the sales clerk. "You got these in black?"

"Yes sir, I'll be right back. Oh, uh...what size are you?" The clerk asked trying to pad the sale.

"Size 12 and a half wide. I'll take mine in tan."

Marie cocked a brow. Every woman had heard the saying about the size of a man's feet being proportionate with the size of _other_ parts of a man. Once again she felt her cheeks warming.

As they waited for the clerk to return, Marie made the comment. "They're a lot heavier than I expected."

"Yeah, you should wear them over the weekend instead of your regular shoes so you can get used to them. You might find you'll walk a little differently, until they get broke in."

"Hmm...black? How do you know if I might not wanted blue or purple? Yellow maybe?"

He cocked his head to the side. "Honey, your choice of color, when it comes to steel-toes, are brown, tan or black. They ain't Prada y'know."

She let out a laugh that made him smile. "Well, if Prada made steel-toes, I'd probably faint at the price tag, you too I'm sure!"

He chuckled. "I'm sure you're right."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

It was Saturday afternoon and Marie had found out about a food pantry near by. She stood nervously in the long line, not sure what to expect or do when she got towards the front.

"Your first time at a food pantry?" The woman next to her asked.

"Um, yeah. I'm not exactly sure what to do, I just need to get some food to make it through the week until I get my first paycheck. What do they do? Like just give you a box of food or something? What if they put stuff in there that I don't like?"

The woman gave her a small smile. "Well, every pantry is different. This one is one of the better ones. Some pantries put a box together, but this one, they walk you around and you can pick out what you want. Even if you get something you don't like, you can always give it to a friend or neighbor.

"This place always has some sort of meat, that's what makes it better, not all of them have meat. It's usually hamburger and lunchmeat, but sometimes you can get chicken or chuck roast. They always have a lot of fresh vegetables, oh but uh...take more vegetables than what you need since there'll be bad spots or mold, but you can cut around the bad parts and eat the rest.

"This time of year, there's tons of apples and they'll try to give you about 3 or 4 bags. I suggest you take them. You can cut up the apples or make applesauce and freeze it. There's a ton of stuff to do with the apples. And the canned food, make sure you get lots of that too."

Marie nodded. "I'll be sure to do that. Thanks."

The women chatted and Marie got some good tips and recipes for the food she might get, helping to stretch out the supply. When she got to the front, and it was her turn, her heart skipped a beat when the man smiled at her.

"M-Mr. Howlett! W-what are you doing here?"

He smiled at her. "I volunteer here on Saturdays, and please, call me Logan..."Mr. Howlett" makes me feel ancient."

"Um...o-ok...Logan."

He looked down at her new boots. "Good, I'm glad you're wearing the boots. How do they feel? Comfortable enough?"

"Uh...yeah. Still heavy, but my feet don't hurt like I thought they would."

"I'm glad to hear that, Mrs. Summers. Ready to shop?"

She put a hand on her hip. "Now, if you want me to call you Logan, you have to call me Marie. Got it."

He cracked a wide grin. "Sounds fair. Come on...let's put some food together for ya."

As he walked her through the area, she was a little surprised. Even though it wasn't like a grocery store, the items being limited, she was able to find a good amount of choices. She scowled a bit at the damaged boxed foods and the bruised or molded vegetables.

He gave a slight shake of his head. "First time ever being in a place like this, isn't it?"

"Yeah. That obvious huh?"

"Yeah...well. Um...you see, it's food that the stores donate, what they can't sell. I guess it's better to give it away than throw it in the trash, but it's still edible for the most part. We try to go through everything and get rid of the worst."

"At the store I worked in, when we had something that was close to expire, or damaged, the boss would have me set it to the side. I never thought to ask what he did with it. Guess now I know."

He chuckled. "Yeah, guess now you do. Oh! Here. Apples...here, take as much as you want, we got a truck load of them. Here 5, 6 bags?"

She giggled a little and he gave her a look that she couldn't name. "What's funny about apples? Apples are good for you." He gruffed out.

"Oh, I agree. It's just waiting in line...I got warned that I'd be overrun with apples." She giggled.

He rubbed his hand on the back of his neck. "Yeah...I guess we have been pushing them pretty hard. We just have so much of them. You think the apples are bad, wait until summer when we get tons of tomatoes and onions. We push the tomatoes by the flats!" He laughed.

She lugged her boxes of food into her sparse apartment, trying to think of ways she could actually make meals of the montage of ingredients the boxes contained.

As she pulled bag after bag of apples out, she couldn't believe that she had allowed Logan to talk her into taking so many. She quickly fired up her computer to find recipes that she could use all the apples for. She found the usual of apple pies, applesauce, apple cookies, but the ones that really caught her intrest were apple chutney and an apple sausage casserole.

She smiled at the thought of that last one. A good way to use the roll of frozen pork sausage, biscuit mix, eggs, and of course...apples.

She sat and flipped on the t.v. as she ate her concoction, surprised at how tasty it actually turned out. As the t.v. program droned on, she found it hard to pay attention to it, as her mind continuously wandered to the man who had been so nice to her over the past few days.

The man, who come Monday morning, would be her boss. The man that made sure she had a pair of work appropriate boots. The man who had slipped in extras into the food boxes when he thought she wasn't looking. The hunky, gorgeous man that she would give anything to wrap her legs around.

_No! _Her mind screamed at her. _You're still legally married and he's YOUR BOSS!_

She turned the t.v. off and occupied herself with cleaning up the kitchen and washing dishes before going to bed.

Her dreams were tormented of this beautiful man. His soft lips kissing her in places of her body that would make her wet and scream his name.

Sometime during the night, her eyes snapped open and she felt the dull ache between her legs. Without thinking, she ran her fingers down to her breast, twisting at her nipples. Sliding a hand down further, she let out a small gasp as her fingers lightly stroked the soft flesh of her flat stomach.

Her hand slid down further, the fingers lightly stroking at her wet entrance. She dipped a finger in and circled the cluster of nerves with her thumb. As she stroked faster and harder, it wasn't long before she found herself screaming. _"OH GOD! LOGAN!"_

XXX

Logan walked into his house, tossing the gym bag to the side as he headed to the bathroom to shower.

As he stripped off his clothes and started the shower, he couldn't get the image of Marie out of his mind. This beautiful, young woman that he would get to see Monday through Friday for at least a few hours a day.

Even though there were other applicants more qualified, he just had to hire her. Even though he knew it was wrong, telling himself that he just wanted to give this poor girl the break that she deserved in a new town, the fresh start she needed, deep down, he simply just didn't want to miss out on being able to see her again.

As the hot water pounded on his back, relieving the tension of his aching muscles, he couldn't stop thinking about her sitting across his desk during that interview, nor how much he had to fight the urge to bend her over his desk, hike her skirt up and pound himself deep and hard into her until she screamed his name.

His hand slid down, grasping at himself as he played that fantasy in his mind. Stroking faster and harder, wishing it was her wet...possibly tight hole instead of his hand. His head snapped back as he groaned out. _"AH! FUCK! MARIE!"_

He finished his shower and turned his attention to the sweaty, blood spotted clothes in his gym bag. Luckily he had become somewhat of an expert at getting blood out of his clothes as he scrubbed at the spots and tossed the clothes into the sink of cold water and detergent to soak.

He tossed a frozen meal into the microwave before plopping down onto the couch. He still had the image of the young Marie in his brain and fought the urge to call her, just to hear her voice, maybe ask her over for a drink.

_NO!_ His brain screamed at him. _She's married...for now, besides...you're HER BOSS!_

_*Ding*_ The microwave sounded as he sighed and got up to retrieve his nuke-a-meal.

After eating, he dragged himself to his lonely bed. His dreams were tormented of the thought of her as he tossed and turned. Somewhere in the night, his eyes opened as his hand snaked down, pushing past the waistband of his sweatpants and stroking himself. Once again, it wasn't long before he let out a groan and breathed heavily. _"Oh God! Yes! Marie! Yes!" _

\--

**Let me know what you think so far. Please review.**


	3. Chapter 3

_**A/N:** Thank you everyone for your wonderful reviews, faves/follows. I appreciate it very much. Please keep those reviews coming!__Mezza999, thank you for checking out my new story and your reviews. I appreciate your fandom. You rock!_

**Chapter 3**

Monday morning and he was happy to see Marie was early for her shift. He showed her where the break room and lockers were, giving her the uniform shirt and instructed her how to use the computer time clock before taking her to the floor for training.

Well...to say she was inexperienced was an understatement. He had to show her how to use a pallet jack, something he assumed was common sense.

He slapped a hand to his forehead and wiped down his face as she hit the corner of a rack for umpteenth time in the past hour. His hand once again slapped to his forehead and wiped at his face when he gave her the scan gun and she didn't even know how to turn it on. What had he done?

He took her around to train her in the picking duties. The cart was bigger and heavier than she expected. Once she got the boxes onto the cart, she couldn't see over the top of it as she pushed it in front of her through the aisles. There went the "hand to forehead down the face" move as she hit a rack...again.

By afternoon, she was getting a little better. At least she wasn't hitting the racks as much and Logan let out a sigh of relief that she might be alright by the end of the week, although the warehouse lingo was a different creature and she'd have to pick up on that as she went along.

Towards the end of the shift, Logan felt confident enough to leave her on her own for the last hour since he had a manager meeting to attend. There were enough people around, that if she had a question, they could help her.

As he walked away, Marie stole a glace over her shoulder to admire his sculpted ass. Seriously! Could those jeans get any tighter? _*BANG!*_ The cart ran right into yet another rack.

Logan stopped in his tracks, but didn't bother to turn around at the noise as his hand once again slapped into his forehead and down his face. Some of the other nearby employees chuckled as they dubbed the maneuver _"new girl blues."_

She didn't see Logan before she left for the day and was a little nervous that it might have been a bad sign. She was so exhausted and sore, it was all she could do to drag herself into her apartment, heat up the leftover sausage/apple concoction and crawl into bed.

XXX

Logan stopped at his favorite watering hole on his way home. He had just started to sip at his second beer for the night when one of his little barfly "friends" landed next to him. "Rough day at the office, sweetie?" She asked him.

He grunted a little. "Got a newbie today. Talk about green! I swear if she hits one more rack!"

His friend giggled. "Or what dearie? You gonna spank her?" She slid her hand over his thigh.

Logan cocked a brow. Spanking Marie might not be such a bad thing. "Mmm...I bet you'd prefer I spank you instead?" He grined as he teased his friend, flipping a lock of hair from her face.

"Oh Logan, you sure do know how to sweet talk a girl. How about you buy me a quick drink and let's get out of here."

"Baby...you just read my mind."

They quickly finished their drinks and was in Logan's truck as he found a secluded spot to park that wasn't too far from the bar.

He had rules for this sort of thing. He never took any of his "friends" to his house. He didn't need some crazy-bitch showing up on his doorstep, nor did he ever give them his phone number. He never kissed them either, and he really didn't care about a name. He gave them all their own nickname, this one he called "Bambi" because of her long, skinny legs.

All the girls knew the deal with him. Just a quick fuck in his truck then walk their asses back to the bar, or wherever, when he was done. At least he was "courteous" enough to park somewhere close enough to the bar.

There was no formality, no foreplay. He quickly pulled her to her knees, positioning himself behind her while hiking up her skirt, pulling her panties to the side as he unzipped his pants, pulling his simi-erect member out. He cocked a brow. That never happened before, he was the type who was always primed and ready.

He stroked at himself trying to help things along. She wiggled herself at him and called over her shoulder. "What are you waiting for, sweetie?"

"Just give me a second." He practically growled. He closed his eyes, stroking as he thought of Marie. That did the trick. He reached in his pocket, ripping open the foil packet as he rolled down the latex covering himeslf.

He entered her with a hard thrust, gripping her hips to set the pace. With his eyes closed, thinking about Marie, so deep into his fantasy he didn't realize he was speaking out loud.

He came down with a slap to the girl's ass. _*SMACK* _"You bad girl! Running into my racks!" _*SMACK*_ "Dirty girl. Giving me a hard on during an interview!" _*SMACK*_ "Take you out back on break and fuck your brains out!" _*SMACK*_

He continued his hard, deep thrusts into her as he called out. "Oh shit! I'm gonna cum!" A final deep push into her as he stilled himself, his warm liquid filling the prophylactic. _"_AHH! YES, MARIE!"

He gave a couple deep, claiming breath before withdrawing himself from her and tossing the used condom out the window. As he stowed himself back into his pants, he glanced at the girl, who was straightening her clothes and had a displeased look on her face. "What?" He gruffed out.

"Be nice if you yelled _my_ name just once." She replied highly irked.

Logan rolled his eyes. "Look, Bambi, first off, I don't even know your name, and quite frankly, I don't really give a rat's ass what your name is. Come on! You know what this is...just a fuck, nothing more. You don't like it...?" He shoved his thumb towards the door. "...you can get the hell out of my truck, and next time I come to the bar, don't bother to sit next to me."

She gave him a shocked look as she gasped out. "Ah!" She got out of his truck, slamming the door and stomping off. He really didn't care about hurting her feelings as he began to drive away, he had at least a dozen more like her in his pocket.

Logan got home and went immediately into the shower. For the first time that he could recall, he felt dirty, ashamed, and felt as if he had somehow betrayed Marie.

The water seemed as if it couldn't get hot enough to wash the smut and filth from him, not to mention the cheap perfume that "Bambi" drowned herself in.

An hour later, he emerged from his shower, still feeling dirty and ashamed. He wanted to call Marie and apologize to her... but apologize for what exactly? It wasn't like she was his woman or anything. No...he was her boss and she his employee, nothing more.

XXX

Tuesday and Wednesday rolled around and Marie was showing incredible improvement. Logan would often come around, checking up on her, seeing if she had any questions, but he still couldn't shake the feeling that he had betrayed her.

He would time his breaks to coincide with hers, standing outside chatting as they smoked their cigarettes. When he would walk through the break room at lunch, he noticed that everyday, she had packed a bologna sandwich. Come on...the girl couldn't like bologna _that_ much!

He had the thought of taking her out for lunch, but knew that as her manager, it would be inappropriate. So, he'd just sigh as he threw whatever frozen, packaged meal he brought with him into the microwave before taking it back to his office to eat alone.

Wednesday evening, she barely made it home before her car ran out of gas. As the car coasted into the parking space, she let out a frustrated sigh. She sat for a moment, the tears stinging her eyes as she tried to figure out what to do.

It was still her first week, and she didn't want to call off work with "car problems" excuse, afraid that it might cause her to lose the job. She decided that she would walk to work the next day, it was only about 10 miles, not that far...right? Then Friday, she would get paid and everything would be better, at least that's what she told herself before crawling into bed.


	4. Chapter 4

_**A/N:** Happy New Year everyone!__Thank You for taking the time for your reviews and starting my 2020 on a positive note :)_

_A comment about the food pantry scene was pointed out. A little background to this story: yes, I have spent time in food pantry lines. If you have never been to a food pantry, the description is really how it is at pantries. You learn to become very creative with meals, because you get odd varieties of food that don't always match up. I also work in a warehouse, as a picker, so yes, those carts get very heavy and racks get banged into quite often. I have used some of these real life experiences within my story...I just wish Logan was my boss! ;)_

**Chapter 4**

Marie got up very early Thursday and looked outside. Sometime during the night, it had snowed a little. She frowned at the thought about walking, and the fact that all she had was a light jacket, since it was still early October and she thought she'd have a little more time to get a couple paychecks before having to buy a winter coat.

She clutched the jacket around her as she had only been walking about 10 minutes and she was already feeling the bite of the cold wind on her when a big black Ford F-350 pulled to a stop ahead of her.

She thought she knew the truck, but wasn't really sure as she cautiously got closer to it. Just as she started to walk past, the window rolled down and she heard the fimilar voice calling. "Marie? I thought that was you. You need a lift?"

She smiled as she climbed into the truck. "Thanks, Mr. Howlett." She sputtered out through her chattering teeth.

He rolled his eyes. "How many times do I need to tell you to call me Logan? Why are you walking? What happened to your car?"

She looked down shyly. How could she tell him it was something as simple as running out of gas. Would it make her seem irresponsible? She let out a sigh. "I...um...I ran out of gas on my way home last night, but it's alright, it's just for one day and I get paid tomorrow and then it won't happen again, Mr. How- uh...Logan."

Logan's eyes got wide and he groaned. "Oh God, Marie. Uh...don't you know? You don't get your first check until _next_ Friday. I thought you knew."

"Wh-what? Next Friday? I thought you said we get paid weekly."

"Yes, you do, but the hours you work this week will be sent to payroll on Monday and you'll get your check next Friday, it's a week behind. Isn't that the way it worked at your other job?"

She shook her head. "No, my old boss, he'd add up the hours on Friday and write out the checks that day." She couldn't help the tears that filled her eyes. "What am I going to do?" She began to sob out.

He grabbed her into a strong embrace. "Hey. It's alright. We'll figure something out. It's alright. Calm down kid, I won't let you be stranded for a week." He held her tight until her sobs subsided and he gave her a warm smile. "Ok. Feel better now?"

She wiped at the tears and slightly nodded as he put the truck into gear and started driving towards the warehouse. He glanced over at her a few times before he finally asked. "Why are you just wearing a flimsy jacket? Didn't you realize how cold it is out there?"

She fiddled with the hem of her jacket a moment before answering quietly. "It's all I have."

"Oh." Was the only response he could give. They sat silently in his truck for a few moments as he finished his cigarette before going into the building.

As he started to flip on the lights, getting the place prepared for the work day, he told Marie that she could clock in and start her shift early, getting an extra hour for the day.

As she went about walking the aisles, picking the items for the orders, she watched as he went about turning on the machinery, checking the equipment and jotting down notes on his clipboard.

She got so engrossed in admiring his toned body, she didn't pay attention to where she was going _*BANG!*_

Logan's body stiffened, a flash of one of his favorite fantasies about Marie made him smirk. He cleared his throat and mind of the fantasy before bellowing out. _"MARIE!"_

"Sorry!" Was the reply he heard echoing from one of the aisles in the empty building. God...how much he wanted to run towards the reply and fuck her right there on the spot.

XXX

By first break, Logan had took his customary place next to Marie to smoke his cigarette. He noticed she wasn't smoking, then it occurred to him that she hadn't smoked when he drove her to work that morning. "Let me guess. No money for a pack...huh?"

She eyed his burning cigarette a moment. "I scrounged up some change, but was still a little short. Mind if I bum one?"

He handed her the pack. "Keep it kid, I got another pack in my desk."

"Thanks." She muttered as she lit a cigarette. She blew the smoke out slowly as her head lulled back. "Ahh. Smoked my last one before bed last night. I really needed this. Thanks."

He smiled at her, fighting the urge to wrap his arm around her and planting a deep kiss on her mouth. "No trouble." He muttered.

XXX

It was late afternoon when Marie was called to the manager's office. Her stomach was in knots thinking of all the reasons she had been called. Was he going to fire her? Had she bumped into one too many racks? Was her lack of experience too much for him to allow her to continue? Her lack of funds! That must be it. He had to give her a ride to work and now he was worried that she wouldn't come back to work because she couldn't scrape together enough cash to put gas in the car...let alone buy a pack of cigarettes. He'd fire her now and put her out of her misery before she had the chance to embarrass him further with the mistake of hiring a...a...irresponsible, dimwit..._kid_ like her.

She wore a scowl as she entered his office, already on the defense as he looked up at her and gestured for her to sit. "So, um, I've been thinking. How do you plan to get home tonight?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "Walk, I guess. Look, I know this first week has been rough for me, not having any money for something as simple as gas or...well hell...not even getting the right boots for the job, but I think that my willingness to _walk_ to work, everyday if I have to, should prove that I'm not going to flake on you and bail."

He shot his brows up in surprise. "Marie...what the hell are you talking about?"

"You're firing me, aren't you?"

"No. What ever gave you that idea? Ok yes, you're rough around the edges, but the last couple days you've gotten better...a lot better, and I would never hold a person having financial problems against them. I'm just concerned about how you would get home. It's a long walk, cold, and you don't have a good coat to wear. Marie...I just wanted to tell you...if you don't already have a ride, I can take you home tonight. Ok?"

She slumped her shoulders, suddenly aware that her previous thoughts made her look foolish as she uncrossed her arms. "Oh, um, really? I'm-I'm sorry. I just thought that you might have-"

He put a hand up. "Don't worry about it, I'm sure things are very stressful for you right now. So look, if you need a ride...I'm available. I do have to stay over an hour for the shift change, you can stay on the clock and keep working, if you want to pick up a little more time until I get off work. Sound good?"

She smiled at him. "Sounds great! Thanks Mr...uh Logan."

He drove her home, and to her surprise, he stopped at the gas station to fill an emergency gas can, announcing that he'd put the gas in her car, and follow her back to the station to finish filling her tank.

She shook her head. "It's too much. I can't allow you to do that for me."

"Hey. Don't sweat it, I'm happy to help out. I don't want to see you stranded without wheels all week...or go without a smoke." He grinned as he pulled out 3 packs of cigarettes from his coat pocket and handed them to her.

She blinked down at the packs, noting that they were her brand, rather than his. "Won't your wife or girlfriend get upset with you doing this for another woman?"

He chuckled. "I don't have a wife or girlfriend, and if I did, she'd have to be the type of woman that would understand that I would help out someone in need."

She blushed a little as she muttered. "I can't believe a guy like you doesn't have a girlfriend."

He looked over at her amused. "What? What was that?"

Her cheeks turned a brighter shade of red. "Uh...I just meant...sometime as nice as you...uh..." She shyly lowered her head as he chuckled at her embarrassment.

Her car made it back to the gas station, while he stood pumping the gas into her car, she continued to protest, telling him that she would pay him back as he continued to refuse her repayments, saying that it is a gift.

He had just hung the pump back up when he heard a fimilar voice calling to him. "Hey Logan. Well isn't this a sight. Never put gas in _my_ car."

Logan groaned as he slowly turned around. "Hey there. What are you doing? Following me?"

"No. Just a coincidence. Who's this? Never saw her at the bar before." She cocked her head towards Marie with a questioning brow.

Marie smiled sweetly. "Hello, I'm Marie Summers. You're a friend of Logan's?"

She looked Marie up and down. "You could say that. Marie huh? The same Marie you screamed out while fucking me?" She shot an angry glare at Logan.

Marie looked at Logan in shock. "I thought you said you didn't have a girlfriend."

Logan snapped out. "I don't! She's just some crazy bitch I know from the bar. Look Bambi, why don't you just leave me alone. Don't you have some other bar you can go fly off to?"

She stomped her foot. "_TINA!_ My name is Tina! Oh and he's right, he doesn't have a girlfriend, just fuck buddies...lots and lots of fuck buddies. Isn't that right, Logan."

He took a big step towards her and pointed a finger in her face. "Hey! You knew the score with me the first time you wiggled your pussy in my face. Now leave me alone, Bambi."

_"TINA!"_

"I don't give a fuck what your name is...just buzz off, whore!"

She slapped Logan hard across the face before turning and storming off. Logan rubbed at the side of his face. He turned towards Marie. "I'm really sorry you had to see that. I...uh...I really don't know what to say. I'm just so sorry that happened. I, um...I don't know. I'm sorry, so very sorry."

Marie looked down for a moment. The look she had was like someone who was wounded, like someone who's heart had just been ripped out and stomped all over. Logan wasn't sure what to make of it as he muttered again. "I'm so, so very sorry."

She shook her head hard, put on a bright, brave smile as she looked back up to him. "No need to apologize, you have your life. What do you need to be sorry about? Hmm?"

"Uh...well...I guess you being witness to that scene, being caught up in it. I guess I'm sorry about that."

"Oh. And um...the other thing she said? About you screaming out my name?"

Logan took a defensive position. "Lots of Maries in the world. Don't flatter yourself...kid."

Marie felt like he had just put a knife through her heart. "Oh. Yeah...I uh...I guess I should get going. Thanks for helping me out and I will pay you back."

She drove home, wiping at the tears streaming down her cheeks, mentally cursing herself for becoming so enamored with her boss. Her beautifully sculpted, kindhearted, gorgeously sexy boss.

She hadn't noticed that he had followed her home and jumped at the sight of him walking towards her in a fast pace. "Marie wait!"

She turned to walk away, but he had caught up to her and grabbed her arm. "Marie. Hold on a second. Look, ok...yeah...I don't know any other Marie...so yeah...I was thinking about you. It was wrong, I know this. It was very wrong. I'm your boss for Christ sake! Nothing could ever happen between us, no matter how much I think you're funny, smart, sexy, sweet, easy to get along with...it just can't happen. I'm sorry about that, but I do hope that we could at least be friends."

"Wh-what was that you said? Sexy?"

He stammered a moment. "I...uh...I said that? I...uh...I...oh! Um...I-I can't. I just can't allow myself to think about you like that. I do want us to be friends, but I can't allow anything else to happen between us. I...just...just...oh shit."

Before either of them knew it, his lips were on hers, their bodies pressed hard against one another. He pushed her back against her car, pressing himself harder into her, working his kisses down to her neck as she let out a soft moan.

"Logan." She whispered out as she started to pull a leg up towards his waist.

He captured her leg, pulling it up higher as he grinded his stiff member into her, muttering between kisses. "Oh God Marie. You're so very sexy. I can't keep my mind off of you." He slipped a hand under her shirt, rubbing at the soft skin of her stomach.

She moaned, returning his advancements, rubbing herself against his hardness, wanting so much for him to be buried deep inside her. She shivered as his fingers ran across the skin of her stomach. "Oh God yes Logan. I-I can't stop thinking about you either. Yes. Take me."

Suddenly he stopped, pushing himself away from her as he took a few shuttering breaths, trying to steady himself as he shook his head. "I-I can't. It would be wrong. So very wrong. I can't. I'm sorry." He quickly turned away, getting back into his truck and immediately kicking himself for not taking her into her apartment and giving her what they both wanted...what they both craved.

XXX

After the shock of what happened wore off, she ran into her apartment and flopped face first onto her bed, burying her face into the pillow while sobbing. She felt like a fool. She was nothing more to him than another conquest.

As her sobs subsided, she still couldn't help the fact that feeling his lips on hers, his fingers dancing across her stomach excited and aroused her. Worst of all...she couldn't help the dull ache between her legs and soaked panties that he left behind.

She rolled over, unbuttoned her jeans and worked her fingers down to the throbbing ache. As she stroked at herself, pushing her fingers in, she kept the thought of his lips on her. She panted and huffed, before she knew it, she was crying out. "Oh God Logan! Yes! Yes! Yes!"

Logan was grumbling to himself. How could he be so stupid as to kiss her? Let alone ready to give her a fucking that he was sure she'd never have before. He cursed himself. No...she wasn't a conquest and not a mere barfly he could screw in his truck. She was something more...much more.

He wanted something from her, _with_ her. For the first time, in a very long time, he could see a life. A life filled with joy and good moments. He thought of turning around and going back, confessing every thought, every feeling he had about her.

In the end, he pulled his truck over, stopping behind an abandoned strip mall as he released his rock hard member from his pants. Stroking and pumping as he kept the thought of her lips on his. It wasn't long before he found himself calling out. "Oh God Marie! Yes! Yes! Yes!"

He reached over to the glovebox and pulled out some napkins he kept stashed and wiped himself and the mess he made. He had one more stop to make before going home.

When he got home, he pulled the new coat out of the bag, carefully cutting all the tags off of it before finding a large brown paper bag to put the coat in.


	5. Chapter 5

_**A/N:** Thank you to all who have taken time to review, it is greatly appreciated. Thank you to my silent readers who are enjoying this little adventure. I promises there will be some drama/action coming...we just got to get through all the mushy fluff first ;)_

**Chapter 5**

Friday afternoon and Logan had once again called Marie into his office. To say the atmosphere was awkward was the understatement of the year.

He handed her the brown bag and muttered. "I uh, I had some work to do at the pantry last night to get ready for tomorrow. We get clothes donations and I spotted this. I hope it's the right size."

She pulled the coat from the bag and eyed it a moment. "This looks new. Looks like it's never been worn."

He scratched at the side of his neck. "Yeah. You'd be surprised what people donate. I don't know what Jimmy Choo shoes are, but we once had someone donate 5 pairs. Damn near started a riot." He chuckled. "Well...try it on."

She put the coat on. It was a size too big and Logan groaned. "Well...uh...maybe I can take it back with me and see if I can find a smaller size."

Marie shook her head. "No! It's perfect. I like a bigger coat, really I do, I like the extra room in case I have to wear extra sweaters or something under it. T-thanks for this...I guess."

Logan cocked a brow. "You guess?"

She shifted a moment. "Well...this doesn't have anything to do with...you know."

He looked at her in shock. "No! Absolutely not! Look, Marie. I'm sorry about what happened, I shouldn't have let my attraction for you to carry me away like that and I promise it will never happen again. If you report me to HR...well I won't blame you, deny it or hold you in any way responsible. I just know things are hard for you right now and a warm coat isn't something you should have on your mind at the moment. I promise...it's not a bribe or a way to keep you quiet. Like I said, I spotted it and snagged it up for you, as a friend. That's all, nothing more."

She looked down at the coat. "It is a nice coat, and warm. Thank you. And I wasn't going to go to HR anyways, so you have nothing to worry about. It happened, you apologized, said it won't happen again. That's the end of it...I guess."

He cocked a brow. Damn he really wanted it to happen again...and more. He nodded his head. "Ok then. Oh, uh, one other thing." He handed her a piece of paper. "In case you need a ride again, call me. I go by there everyday on my way to work so it's not out of the way or anything. It's not a very good area, lots of crime and I wouldn't want you walking alone in the dark. You'll call me if you need to?"

She nodded her head. "Yeah...I'll call if I have anymore car trouble. Thanks...Logan."

She turned to leave and put her hands into the pockets of her new coat when she felt something inside. She pulled out a piece of green paper at looked at it. "Oh my God! A 50 dollar bill!"

Logan looked up. "What? Really? Wow! Talk about a lucky break! You should play the loto kid."

She eyed him a moment. "Logan...did you put this in here?"

He held his hands in front of him, shaking his head. "I swear, I had nothing to do with it. I didn't check the pockets before I bagged up the coat...now I wish I had." He chuckled. "Oh well...finders keepers."

"Logan...seriously tell me you didn't put this money in here."

"I'm telling ya, I had nothing to do with it! Look, we don't really go through the pockets, we've had lots of people find money. Usually a dollar or two...sometimes a twenty, but there are those times, someone finds a small goldmine. I guess it's true what they say about God blessing those who need it the most."

She nodded. "Ok...as long as you really didn't have anything to do with it."

"I promise, kid. Now I got a lot of work to do. Shoo...out of my office." He laughed.

He watched her walk back to the floor and chuckled. Too bad the only cash he had on him was a fifty or there would have been more in that pocket.

She saw him at the pantry the following day, but he was too busy with a woman and her 4 screaming kids to really have a chance to talk to him. All she could do was smile and wave as he gave her a look that said 'please rescue me!'

Monday morning rolled around and she noticed Logan didn't look like himself. He looked tired and a little stiff in the shoulders. She asked one of the other women about it, concerned that he might be coming down with a cold or something.

"Oh that. Yeah, he always looks that way on Mondays. Everyone knows he has a side job, but nobody knows exactly what it is. Whatever it is, must kick his ass pretty hard. He'll be fine later today...you'll see."

Monday after shift, she hung around and caught him as he was getting in his truck. "Hey Logan. How are you?"

"Huh? Um...ok I guess. You ok? Car again? You need a lift?"

She shook her head. "No, nothing like that. I just noticed you didn't look too well today. Been so busy hadn't had a chance to talk to you. Everything alright?"

"Uh...yeah, I'm cool. I...uh...well I got a side thing on the weekends and it really wears me out. No big deal really. Just a little tired, but I'm fine. Thanks for asking."

"So what is it that you do on the weekends, other than volunteer at the pantry?" She cocked her head in curiosity.

He bit at his lip. "Um...I really can't talk about it."

She chuckled. "What? You some secret spy for the FBI or something?"

He cocked a brow but stayed silent. Her eyes got wide. "I-I was just joking. You're not...seriously?"

"No. Nothing like that, but I really can't talk about it. I gotta go. See ya tomorrow."

She cocked a brow as she watched him drive off. Now her sexy boss was becoming even more intriguing and wondered what this secret side job of his could be.


	6. Chapter 6

_**A/N: **Thank you all for reading and enjoying this adventure. A big thank you to those who have reviewed. So many questions. Is Logan a mutant? Is he secretly working with the X-Men? Is he a spy? Is he King of the Cage? Questions, questions, questions. Keep reading to find out, my friends. ;)_

**Chapter 6**

Halloween had passed, Marie had a few paychecks under her and things were starting to look up. She and Logan had settled into a comfortable friendship, although he still wouldn't tell her what his side job was, no matter how much she questioned him about it.

It was the second week of November when the news had broke that _Friends Of Humanity_ was planing a march in the town. It was no secret that these demonstrations usually got out of control, and as a result, most businesses chose to close their doors in fear of a riot.

On Wednesday afternoon, Logan assembled the crew together for a meeting. He stood in front of the crowd and cleared his throat until everyone was silent and had their attention on him.

"Ok. This is a very serious situation people. I'm sure you all have already seen the news reports that the FOH is planning a march here Friday afternoon. As a precaution, we've decided to close the warehouse so that no one needs to risk being out _should_ the march get out of hand. We've already called off second shift for tonight, and we'll stay closed until Monday."

"Hey! Are we gonna get paid for being shut down?" One of the men called out.

"That's a good question, Tony. I spoke to the admin about that, at this time they're saying that you can use your sick days if you want to, but-"

"What about those of us that don't have any sick time available? Why should we suffer losing pay because the company is afraid of some idiot assholes?" Another called out.

"Yeah...and what if I don't want to use my sick days? What if I'm trying to save my days for when I really have an issue and need time off?" Yet another employee called to drive the point home. These questions earned grumbles and mutters amoung the crowd.

Logan put his hands up. "Ok, ok people! I get it. I don't like it either. I know being shut down for the next 2 days is going to take a big bite out of your paychecks. Upper management is still working on a solution for this problem, I promise that I'll bring these concerns to them when we have our meeting this afternoon."

Another let out a loud scoff. "Yeah right. You salary guys don't know how hard a paycheck gets hit when you miss a day of work...let alone 2 days. Gonna bring it up in your meeting. Whatever Howlett."

"Hey! You watch yourself there, Mike! You're getting close to not having a job come Monday. Look, believe it or not, I'm right there with you guys. I agree with Sharon, you shouldn't have to suffer because of some idiots."

Marie shook her head. "The demonstration isn't until Friday afternoon. Why shut down tomorrow? Why not just shut down for the one day?"

Logan gave her a look. _Not you too_. He thought to himself. "The history of the FOH is that they blow into a town a few days ahead of their scheduled "demonstrations." Then there's also the protesters on the side of mutant rights. Fights before the marches tend to break out. Then on the day of the march...well, that's when all hell really breaks out. We just don't want to take the risk of any of our people getting hurt while coming or going from work. I'll talk to the admin this afternoon and see what I can do to get you all paid for the time off, but ultimately it's up to those above me, but I promise I'll try for you. Is there anything else that needs to be addressed before we leave tonight?"

Mike spoke up. "Yeah. When we gonna get those new microwaves for the breakroom?"

Logan rolled his eyes. "They're-"

"On order!" The crew called out in unison as a burst of laughter rang out.

Logan chuckled. "Alright everyone! Get the hell out of here, have a good weekend and stay safe. I want to see all of you here Monday morning."

XXX

Thursday, Marie took the extra time to do the things in her apartment that she had put off over the few weeks of moving in, as she had been too exhausted, too depressed, and too broke to really do what she wanted. She bought an area rug, rearranging her furniture to lay it down. She had also went through the plates and cookware she had been picking up here and there at the thrift store, finally washing them and putting them into the cabinets.

Finally she decided to tackle the boxes she had yet to go through, when she came across the pictures of her and Scott. Her depression returned as she looked at the pictures, trying to decide if she wanted to keep them, or throw them away.

She was startled at the knock on her door. Looking at the clock, she realized that it was almost 8 at night and wondered who could be knocking at her door so late. She was shocked at the fimilar face she saw through the peephole.

She opened the door. "Logan? What are you doing here?"

"Did you order a pizza, ma'am?" Logan smiled and presented her with the pizza box.

She gave a playful smile. "Oh...so this is your side job. No wonder you don't want anyone to know."

"Yeah...wouldn't want it to get around that I moonlight as a pizza delivery boy." He chuckled. "So...I come barring gifts of food and libations." He held up a six pack of beer. "Can I come in or what?"

She laughed as she opened the door wider to let him in. "Yeah sure...but don't expect this to turn into one of those pizza delivery porno scenes."

He laughed. "Well damn...that's the whole reason I took a job delivering pizza in the first place, but somebody forgot to tell me that shit don't really happen."

She laughed as she got some paper plates and napkins. As Logan set the pizza down, he noticed the box sitting on the floor near a closet. "Still unpacking, huh?"

She quickly went to the box, scooping up the pictures from the floor and dumped them back into the box before shoving it into the closet.

Logan cocked a brow. "Memory box huh?"

She looked down a moment. "Yeah...pictures of me and my husband...ex-husband."

"Yeah? How's that going by the way?" He asked as he put a couple slices of pizza on a plate and handed it to her.

"Funny you should ask. Got a letter from the court today. Because of the holidays and staffing, the paperwork won't be processed until after the first of the year. Then I should get the papers in the mail to sign and send back. I thought that since it was uncontested, it would be over by now, but it looks like it's going to be a few more months."

"Well that sucks. Can't say I have first hand knowledge about divorces, but I guess they really drag their feet on these things. I guess they want to make sure somebody doesn't change their minds or something."

"Yeah...well believe me...I'm not changing my mind. He wanted that bitch so bad, he's got her."

Logan cracked a grin at the killer look she had on her face. "Oooohh...don't wanna meet you in a dark alley when you're pissed."

"Yeah...don't ever forget it, bub." She grinned widely at him as she cracked open a couple beers and led him to the couch to sit.

He took a seat and looked around the room, as it was his first time actually being inside her apartment. "Nice place you have here."

She about choked on her beer. "This shithole?"

"No, seriously, it's not so bad. Nice rug, comfy couch, drapes...not so bad."

"Everything in here is from the thrift store. The furniture doesn't match. I washed the drapes 5 times and they still smell like cat piss, and the rug I bought yesterday at a flea market. Hard telling what that stain is from."

"Vomit." Logan blurted out.

"Excuse me. What?"

"Somebody threw up on the rug. That's what the stain is...at least that's what it smells like."

"Seriously. You can smell that? Oh gross! Help me roll it up and take it to the dumpster."

He laughed. "It's not that bad. I got a carpet shampooer at home, I'll bring it over and help you get a good clean on the rug. Make it look new again."

As they ate, Marie finally asked. "So...um, why did you come over tonight?"

Logan took a long pull of his beer before he answered. "Ok, look. I found out that this FOH march plans to assemble at the park a few blocks from here. I'm worried about you, Marie. I don't want you to be by yourself if things get crazy. I'd prefer that you come and stay with me over the weekend, but if you want to stay here, that's fine, I'll sleep on the couch, but there's no way in hell you're gonna be left alone."

She frowned at him. "Logan, I plan on just staying inside and going through some of these boxes. I'll be fine, you don't have to-"

He put a hand up to her. "You're not staying by yourself when the shit hits the fan. That's final. After we finish eating, you can pack a few things for the weekend and stay at my place. I have an extra bedroom, and it'll be far enough away from all the craziness that you won't have to worry about anything."

She thought about it while she sipped her beer. "Well, if things get as bad as you think they might, if some people realize no one's home all weekend...think they might take advantage of it?"

He nodded. "That's a good point. Ok...I brought some stuff with me, out in the truck, just in case I couldn't talk you into staying at my place. Like I said, I'll sleep on the couch, not the fist time I've slept on a couch...and a few floors. Hell, slept in a jail cell once."

Marie had to catch herself to keep the beer from spraying out of her mouth. "You were arrested!? For what?"

"Nothing major...bar fight. The other guy got as good as he gave, we both agreed to drop the charges and got cut loose in the morning." He chuckled.

XXX

Logan tossed and turned throughout the night on the couch. In the morning, Marie found him sleeping soundly on the floor next to the couch.

The smell of food cooking and coffee brewing woke him as he got up and gave a good stretch. She smiled at him as she set the plates down on the table. "Good morning sleepy head. Enjoy the floor?"

He grumbled a moment as he cracked his back. "Couch a little small for long legs. Think I'll buy you a bigger couch, maybe a pull-out, if there's a store open today."

"You'll do no such thing, Mr. Howlett! You've already done more for me than necessary and I certainly will not allow you to start buying furniture for me. Is that understood?"

"Ok, ok. Sheesh. Just trying to help." He muttered as he sat down and started eating his breakfast.

As they ate, he finally got the nerve to ask. "So, what is your aversion with allowing me to help you anyway? I mean...I do have the funds to help you out y'know. It's not like getting a couch for you would leave me broke or anything."

Marie looked down and scooted her eggs around her plate with her fork for a moment before quietly speaking. "I have to start doing things on my own. I knew it would be a struggle when I left Scott, and I have to prove to him that I can survive without him, or his money. I just have to do these things for myself, that's all."

He placed his hand on top of hers as he was starting to really understand. "He really did a number on you, didn't he? I know you don't like to talk about him, but I wish you'd tell me so that I can know you better, know what makes you tick."

She let out a long breath before answering. "We got married right out of high school. His parents have money...lots of money. They paid everything for the wedding, put the down payment on our house, including furnishing it. He parents pretty much bought everything we needed to get started. Scott went to college, that of course his parents paid for, and I went to work. The plan was that after he got his degree, I'd go to college, but it didn't work out that way."

"After he got his degree, he started working in his father's company, convincing me that I should wait a few years before going to college. Between him and his parents, we didn't have to worry too much about finances. Anything I wanted, he bought. I was pretty much a kept woman. I-I guess...guess I'm just afraid to fall into that trap again with another man. That's why I have to do this myself, provide for myself, _prove_ to him...to myself that I can take care of myself without the help of a man."

Logan gave her hand a squeeze. "Ok. I see, I get it. Look Marie, I'm not trying to trap you or take your independence away from you. I see that things are a struggle for you right now, and I am in the financial position to help, but now I understand why you have a hard time accepting that help, and it's ok. Look, I won't offer to buy you things anymore...well maybe a pizza and beer once in a while." He grinned before continuing. "I will say this though, if things get too rough for you...I sure as hell won't let you go without food, gas in your car or a pack of smokes. Can you at least promise, that if it gets that bad for you again, you'll let me help you with those things?"

She nodded her head as she wiped a tear away. They finished their breakfast and Logan helped her to wash the dishes, well she washed as he dried and put them away.

After breakfast, he helped her pull out some of the heavier boxes from a closet for her to go through, surprised at all the albums she had. He found a record player in one of the boxes and hooked it up. Before long, he had a _Hank Williams Jr_. record blarring through the speakers.

Marie was shocked when she caught him singing along with one of the songs. Her initial shock was that he knew the songs, pegging him to be a _Pink Floyd_, or maybe a _Rolling Stones_ fan, but what surprised her the most was how wonderful his singing voice was in comparison to his usual gruff, gravelly speaking voice.

"Hey...you're good. Maybe we should go to a karaoke bar sometime and get you on stage." Marie smiled.

"Oh no, kid! Don't even _think_ about it! I limit my singing in private, no way in hell I'm gonna get up in front of a bunch of half drunk people and make an ass of myself." He smiled.


	7. Chapter 7

_**A/N:** Thank you all once again for the reviews. I'm so glad that you're sticking with the story. I hope I haven't lost too many along the way with all the will they/won't they mushy stuff. I promise things are about to pick up very quickly._

_Well now...Friends of Humanity? Logan showing up on Marie's doorstep? A pizza delivery guy? What kind of intresting mess could Marie have gotten herself into here? Read on, my friends and find out_

**Chapter 7**

They could hear the shouting in the streets from the protesters. Logan turned on the t.v. and sat on the couch with Marie as they watched the news coverage.

The reporters were interviewing people on both sides of the protest. Logan would let out little grunts when members of the FOH spewed their hate speeches and would give little nods, sometimes a "damn right" when people in favor of mutant rights were interviewed.

The camera turned to a red haired woman to be interviewed and Marie let out a loud groan. Logan cocked a brow at her and wondered.

They listened as the reporter spoke. _"Excuse me, ma'am. Can you tell us why you're protesting today?"_

The woman looked directly into the camera and her lip slightly curled into what Marie would consider almost evil. _"Because I believe in the purity of all humans! Mutants are an abomination to this planet, destroying our society, our way of life, and have no place here...let alone any rights!"_

_"Do you mind giving us your name?"_ The reporter asked.

The woman smirked. _"I'm not ashamed to tell you, my name is Jean Grey, and I'm a proud purebred human! Me and my fiancé both believe that the only way to stop these...things...are to round them up, put them in their own area to prevent them from breeding with humans creating more of these...animals."_ She pulled a man by the arm to stand next to her as she spoke.

_"Sir, would you like to give your name?"_ The reporter tilted the microphone towards him.

He put a hand around the microphone. _"My name is Scott Summers and I'm a proud pure human! These creatures need to be stopped from corrupting our children before it's too late!"_

Marie scoffed. "Funny...he always told me he didn't want children."

_"How do you believe that mutants are corrupting the children, Mr. Summers?"_ The reporter asked.

_"Look at all the news reports of what these creatures do! They use their powers to set buildings on fire! They go around disappearing into thin air, only to reappear in a bank vault to steal all the money! There are some that can read people's minds! Can you imagine what kind of information they could gather from that? Who's to say they wouldn't read...say the President's mind and get the launch codes to start World War three? Huh? There's even one out there that can bend and melt metal, and another that can manipulate the weather! And what about those that don't even look human? And that group who PRETEND to be some kind of superheroes, what do they call themselves? X-Men? Our children see all of this and thinks it's "cool" and wants to be like them! I say down with mutants!"_

He pumped his fist in the air and started yelling, gathering others around in a chant. _"Down with mutants! Down with mutants! Down with mu-"_

Logan turned the t.v. off and looked at Marie. "_THAT'S_ your soon to be ex-husband?"

She looked down for a moment before quietly whispering. "Yeah."

He wasn't sure what to say or think as he looked at her stunned. Finally Logan collected himself. "Do-do you agree with him?"

She snapped her head up and looked directly at Logan. "No! Of course I don't! I'm sure that bitch Jean got him involved in all this."

Logan ran a hand through his hair as he blew out a breath. It was something they hadn't talked about, since it was a "hot button" topic, it was strictly forbidden to discuss this issue at work. "So...um...what is your thoughts about mutants?"

She blinked at him a moment then shrugged a shoulder. "I guess mutants are like everyone else. There's good and there's bad. I don't believe all mutants use their...um...powers? Yeah...powers, to do bad things. The ones who do...they chose to be criminals, just like regular people like us choose to be good or bad."

Logan cocked a brow at that. "Marie...have you ever met a mutant?"

"No. Not that I know of anyway. I guess the majority look like normal people, hell I could have sat next to one in a resturant or something and not even know it."

Logan gave a nervous chuckle. "Yeah...there could even be some at work and we'd never know."

"Yeah! You see? That's what I mean...mutants are just like us, they just want to live their lives. It's not their fault that they were born different, it's just that the bad ones make it hard for the good ones to live peacefully. And the ones that don't look human? Well...there are good ones too. Have you ever seen that blue furry guy? I mean really! He looks like a giant teddy bear! I've seen some of his speeches and he's so smart...a doctor I think. He's not a bad man and he shouldn't have to be judged because he has fur."

Logan gave her a wide grin and nodded. "I completely agree. So ok...I'll take the other side of that coin. What about that woman that can make herself look like anyone she wants? I think I heard somewhere she made herself look like a congressman and got all the way into the Whitehouse. What if she got to the President and killed him before someone figured out who she really was?"

Marie nodded. "Good example, but someone like you or me could impersonate a congressman and do the same thing. Should all humans be persecuted for the actions of one?"

"Good point, and of course the answer is no. So, what about the ones that can read minds? Like your husband said...one of them could get any information they want and cause all kinds of disaster. Don't you think that there should be laws that mutants are to self-identify and be prevented to use their abilities? I mean we have laws that sex offenders are to be identified. Would this be any different?"

She thought about that a moment. "True. But there are regular people who know how to hack computers. They could do the same thing. Does that mean that all humans should be forced into testing to see if they know how to hack a computer or not? And what about the one that can control the weather? She could easily use her powers to flood out an entire country if she wanted, but I haven't heard of anything like that. Have you? She must be one that chooses to use her powers for good, like that wildfire in California a couple years ago. There wasn't any reports of rain but yet, magically, a big storm blew in and the fires were put out. Maybe it was her that did it. Should someone like that be controlled and forced to take some kind of drug or wear a collar to prevent her from doing good things, just because she has an ability that we don't have?"

Logan smiled and nodded. "You're absolutely correct. Mutants _should_ be judged by their individual actions, not lumped up into a single category because of a few bad apples."

Marie gave a rolling laugh at that. Logan cocked a brow. "What?"

"Please don't remind me of apples! I still have a ton in the freezer I'm trying to figure out what to do with!"

Logan laughed. "Yeah...see. There might have been some bad ones in those bags...but you still got a lot of good ones from it. Right? Speaking of apples...we still have a bunch, I can give you more."

"No!" Marie laughed.

XXX

An hour had passed and they could hear the shouting from the street. The march had started and was going right by the apartments Marie lived in. They stood by the window and watched, as Logan huffed. "Idiots."

Suddenly there was a lot of yelling and gun shots rang out as Marie screamed. Logan quickly pulled her away from the window and rushed her to the bathroom. He had noticed earlier that there wasn't a window there and she would be safe.

Marie huddled into Logan's arms as she trembled. He held her tight, stroking her hair. "Shh. It's alright darlin', I'm here. I won't let anything happen to you."

"L-Logan...why? Why are they shooting?"

"I don't know, honey. Maybe it's not the protesters, maybe some jackass around here taking advantage of the situation."

She nodded against his chest. She felt so warm and safe in his strong arms. She slowly lifted her head and looked up at him. He slowly started to lean down towards her, their lips mere centimetres from one another when his phone beeped. "Shit." He whispered in a huff.

He pulled out his phone and looked at the text, as a wide smile came across him.

Marie took a step back with a sickening thought. "One of your *ahem* friends?"

He glanced up at her. "No. I don't give out my number, just like I don't take any of those ho's to my house...or go to their house for that fact. Hold on...I gotta send this text blast."

Within seconds Marie's phone beeped. She pulled it out and looked at the text. Her jaw dropped as she read it.

_All associates be advised that admin has decided that shutdown time will be paid in full to all those who report for their shift time Monday. I expect everyone to be there. NO EXCUSES! -Howlett._

Marie screamed with excitement and jumped into his arms. "Oh my God! I can't believe this! Oh this is such a relief, I didn't know what I would've done without a full check."

Logan chuckled as he held her tight to him. "I told you all that I'd get in there and fight for ya. That's my mutant power...make upper management listen to me." He chuckled.

She let out a laugh. "Oh! Well if you're a mutant...good power to have, and here I was starting to think your power was making women fall for you."

He laughed. "Nope. That's all natural. Can't register that one."

They both took a small step back and shifted uncomfortably as an awkwardness settled in. Marie's voice barely a whisper. "Um...Logan. Don't take this the wrong way but...um..."

He shook his head. "Yeah. I know what kind of guy I am, and it's not very pretty." He blew out a breath as he ran a hand through his hair. "Look, um, the truth is...well since that run in with Bambi...Tina...whatever...I haven't been back to that bar. Those women...they didn't mean shit to me. Just a quick fuck and that's all. In a way I'm glad that incident happened, it was a real eye opener. It's time I change my ways and start to look for something more real, something...long term. Do you get what I'm saying, Marie?"

She nodded and turned away from him, lowering her head. "Logan, you can't expect me to just jump into bed with you, I mean...we don't really know that much about each other and...and I'm still legally married, and well...we just...I don't know...we work together, you're my boss and...and...Scott's the only person I've..."

He stepped up behind her and placed his hands on her shoulders, rubbing her arms. "I get it. We can take it slow, take our time. Marie, I can't help these feelings I have for you, hell, I came here to spend the weekend to make sure that you're safe. You don't see me doing that for anyone else do you? I was worried about you, I just couldn't sit at home knowing you were here alone, I had to make sure you were safe." He leaned down and gave her a kiss to the top of her head. "If something were to happen to you...I'd never forgive myself."

"And what about the part of being my boss? That's crossing a big line, isn't it."

"Yes...it is. Let me worry about that part, unless you'd rather that I fire you and then we wouldn't have to worry about someone finding out that we're dating." He chuckled.

She reached back and gave him a light slap on his arm for that comment. She turned and gave him a stern look. "Scott kept secrets from me, I can't take that again. Logan, if we're going to be together...no secrets."

Logan gulped as she continued. "What exactly is this side job of yours?"

He shifted for a moment. "Ok...ok...if you really need to know...I'll take you with me Sunday night, but you can't tell anyone. It's...uh...not exactly legal."

Her eyes grew wide. "Oh my god! Logan, are you some kind of drug dealer or something?"

_"WHAT! NO!_ No...I swear it's nothing like that it's just...well...you'll see, but you do have to keep it to yourself, understand?"

Marie nodded. "My lips are sealed."


	8. Chapter 8

_**A/N:** Once again, thank you so much for the reviews! Thank you all for taking the time to read and enjoy this little adventure._

_We are getting so close to finding out what Logan's little "side job" is...but first we need to deal with a little husband issue. ;)_

**Chapter 8**

After the commotion died down, Logan deemed it safe to move about the apartment again.

They spent the rest of the afternoon going through more boxes. By evening, Logan asked if he could take a shower. Marie laughed when she saw that he had brought his own towels and washcloth. "I have plenty of towels you know."

Logan gave a slight smile. "I don't doubt that you do. I just didn't want to create extra laundry for you on my count."

While Logan showered, Marie got a pot of water on the stove to boil for spaghetti. As she heard the shower turn off, there was a knock on the door.

Logan heard the knocking, knowing it was starting to get dark outside he became worried and gave himself a quick dry before pulling on a pair of sweatpants.

He had just got into the hall when he heard Marie open the door and speaking to someone. "Scott? What are you doing here? How did you know where I live? Is that home wrecking bitch with you?

"I found out where you moved to from the court documents. No, Jean isn't here, she's back at the hotel. I just thought we could-" Scott looked up and saw the shirtless, partially wet man coming up behind Marie. "Who's this?"

Marie looked over her shoulder, then back to Scott. "This is Logan. He's a friend who's staying with me over the weekend to make sure I'm safe from your nutball friends. Scott...how could you let that cow get you mixed up with those...those..."

"Idiots." Logan finished for her.

Scott lowered his head. "Honey, Jean didn't get me involved with the FOH. I've been a supporter since college."

Logan growled. "Hey there, Scooter, I think you lost the right to call Marie "honey" when you fucked around on her."

Scott scowled at him. "She's still my wife! If I want to call her honey, sweetheart, babydoll or anything else, who the fuck are you to tell me different?"

Logan's jaw clenched as he glared at Scott. He grinded his teeth as he growled out. "I'm the one who made sure she had food to eat. I'm the one who put gas in her car so she didn't have to freeze her ass off walking. I'm the one who gave her a shoulder to cry on when she felt like she was alone in this world. I'm the one who _cared_ about her while you didn't give a shit if she even so much as have a decent _coat_ to wear! While you were off getting _engaged_ and fucking your little trollop...I was the one being a friend and helping her to pick up the shattered pieces of what life you left for her."

Marie shook her head. "Alright guys...stop. Scott, what the hell do you want anyway?"

"I just wanted to stop by and see how you were doing. Whatever your _friend_ thinks, I do still care about you and just wanted to see if you're alright, if you need anything."

She looked down at the floor as she crossed her arms over her shoulders, a move that didn't go unnoticed by Logan. "I don't need anything from you. Logan's right, you haven't even so much as given me a second thought until you and your bigot friends rolled into town."

"Bigot? Marie, you seriously can't be one of those who think that those _things_ are like us normal humans? They're monsters! They don't belong living among the rest of society!"

She shook her head, slightly looking up at Scott. "I can't believe you, Scott! When did you become a...a racist!? I've known you since the tenth grade when my family moved from Mississippi to Colorado! My god, you were the first boy I ever kissed! I thought I knew you. I guess your affair wasn't the only thing you kept secret from me."

Scott cocked a brow. "First boy you kissed? So there's been others? And you act all high and mighty about Jean! So..._dear wife_...how many others have there been?"

Marie trembled as she looked back to the floor. "I never cheated on you! I never even kissed anyone else until-" She snapped her mouth shut as her eyes quickly darted to the side.

Scott looked up past Marie and locked onto Logan. "Oh, I see. Well...hope you got a lot of money to support her, she has expensive tastes you know."

Logan crossed his arms in front of his bare chest and huffed as he glared at Scott. "Don't worry about my bank account there, Scooter. Why don't you just run along now, I'm sure your little mouth piece is getting lonely without you."

Marie nodded and spoke quietly. "Yes, Scott. I think it's time for you to leave now. Don't worry, when the divorce papers come, I'll sign them. I told you then and I'll tell you now...I don't want anything from you. Not the house, not any of your money..._nothing_ from you, other than my freedom. Goodbye, Scott."

She started to close the door and Scott put his hand out to stop it. "Marie! I do care about you. Look, I know I screwed up and I'm sorry about that. Can't we work this out? Put all this behind us? I just want you to come home and we can forget any of this ever happened."

Marie shook her head. "Scott, I'm sorry but I can't be with someone who has hurt me the way you have, and now to discover you're involved with those hate mongers, and have been for years? No Scott. After the divorce is finalized, I don't ever want to see you again." She pushed the door closed and locked it.

Marie tuned to Logan and threw her arms around him into a tight hug as she buried her face into his bare chest. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her in a comfortable tightness against him.

She was surprised at how warm he was as she muttered. "I'm sorry that happened. I'm sorry you got caught in the middle."

He stroked her hair. "Shh. It's alright darlin', you have nothing to apologize for." He put his hand under her chin and tilted her head up towards him. He slowly leaned down and placed a soft kiss on her lips.

The kiss deepened as Marie ran her hands across his muscular back. His tongue pushed past her lips and filled her mouth as he seeked out the sweetness of her. She felt him pressing into her, pulling her tighter against him and she could feel the hardening bulge in his sweatpants.

Suddenly, she broke the kiss and pushed away from him. "N-no...Logan...I-I'm not ready, not now."

He blew out a breath and nodded. His voice was raspy and thick. "It's ok. I know...we'll take it slow, darlin'. I...uh...I should finish getting dressed." He leaned back down and placed another soft kiss on her lips before retreating back to the bathroom to finish dressing.

As they sat on the couch, eating the spaghetti, they watched the news of the march. Marie and Logan both grunted at the clips of part of the FOH's hate speaches. "I just don't understand how there could still be so many people in this day and age who could be so hateful towards a person just because they're a little different. I mean...it's not the 1950's anymore!" Marie shook her head as she picked up the remote to find something else on other than the news.

Logan gave a hard gulp. "Y-yeah...I guess some things will never change. People fear the things they don't understand, or things that are different. M-Marie...I...I need to tell you something, something about me."

Marie shook her head. "Logan, I already know about the girls at the bars, you don't have to go over that again."

Logan shook his head. "No, not that. Marie, you need to know...I'm-"

Marie suddenly stood up. "Damnit! I left the salads in the fridge. What kind of dressing do you like? I got Italian, French and ranch."

Logan shook his head. "Ranch, I guess."

As she rummaged in the fridge she called out. "Got a couple beers left, you want one?"

"Yeah...beer sounds good. Marie...there's something I need to tell you."

She came back over with the salads and beers. "I know...I'm not a great cook. Scott told me many times I can't cook worth a damn."

He looked at her in shock. "No! You're a good cook. The spaghetti was perfect, and the garlic bread...most people put too much garlic on it, but yours has just the right amount. It's excellent, a wonderful meal."

She snuggled close to him. "Well, I already know you aren't married or have a girlfriend, so unless you're about to tell me you're gay or have some sort of STD or a bunch of kids running around out there somewhere...I guess I already know what I need to know about you at the moment."

He cocked a brow at her. "I'm sure as hell not gay or anything like that. Not that I have anything against gay people, but I'm very secure in my heterosexuality. I don't have any diseases and I don't have a bunch of children, I'm too careful about that. And uh...well... I kinda like to think that maybe I _do_ have a girlfriend now...but there is something about me that you need to know."

She smiled up at him. "I know that you're kind, warm and help people when ever you can. I know that you like to joke around, but have a serious side to you. I know that you're strong and protective and have a big heart. At this moment, I don't think there's anything more I need to know, the rest will come out when it needs to."

Logan gave her a somber look. Perhaps discovering her husband, the man she thought she knew, was a member of the FOH was enough for her for one day and anymore surprises would simply be too much for her right now. He nodded his head, allowing the matter to drop for now. "Alright, sweetheart, we'll talk about it some other time."

As they continued to eat, she eyed him for a moment before she finally asked. "Logan, you mentioned the coat to Scott. Is there something about that brand new, never worn coat you want to tell me about?"

He was halfway to his mouth with a fork full of spaghetti when he set the fork back on the plate with a sigh. "Ok...yeah. I bought the coat and put the money in the pocket. You're not paying me back! It was a gift and I refuse to allow you to pay me back for it! Final."

He blushed a little as she gave him a peck on the cheek. "Thank you for helping me...with everything."

He shifted a moment, slightly caught off guard and embarrassed by the response and grumbled out. "Yeah...you're welcome."


	9. Chapter 9

_**A/N:** Everybody still alive? Breathe my friends, breathe! I know...I'm just so mean teasing y'all like this, but I just can't help myself LOL! Well...here's another piece of the puzzle! What could Logan's side job be? Let's see what we have so far...bloody clothes - "not exactly legal" - Logan can afford certian luxuries...hmmm._

_In this chapter there's a little Spanish. I used the Google translate app for that so if it's wrong, it's Google's fault..._

**Chapter 9**

Saturday morning, the pantry was closed because of the protest march and Marie woke to find Logan once again sleeping on the floor. She shook her head and felt a little bad about it. By afternoon, they went to his house to get the carpet cleaner.

She was surprised by his house. It wasn't a big house really, a nice modest size 3 bedroom ranch in a nice, quiet neighborhood with a big shade tree in the front yard. The back yard was somewhat large for the area. A full size deck off of the patio door and Marie spotted a large grill that had been covered for the winter and a fire pit in the center of the deck. Off to the side, she saw a streaming Jacuzzi tub that looked inviting. Beyond that, a decent sized in-ground swimming pool, that had also been covered for the winter.

She was a little surprised to see a flower garden outlining the property. She would have never suspected Logan to be the type to spend time in a flower garden, and the property was bordered with a row of pine trees.

When Logan came back into the room with the cleaner she asked him. "What kind of flowers do you have out there?"

He glanced out the window towards the garden. "Oh. I don't know. I think some roses and tulips and some other stuff. It came with the house and I never really had the heart to dig it out."

She chuckle at that. "Well how do you take care of the garden if you don't know what kind of flowers you have?"

He shifted a moment and rubbed the back of his neck. "I...uh...well, truth is I hire someone to take care of it. They take care of the garden, mow the lawn and keep the hedges trimmed. In the winter, they keep the driveway and sidewalks shovled for me."

She looked around a little more and noticed a picture of a dark haired man, blonde woman and 2 children. "Logan? Who's this?"

Logan looked over at the picture she was holding. "Oh. That's my brother, Victor. His wife Susan, their son Thomas and daughter Elizabeth. He sent me a letter a few months ago, they're expecting another one."

"Do you get to see them much?"

Logan shook his head. "Not as much as I'd like to. They live in Germany. Vic does some kind of top secret research for the military. He can't talk about it, but he's been in Germany for a little over 10 years now. I visit when I can, and he comes back to the states every 3 years or so for a visit. He was supposed to come for Christmas this year, but with Susan expecting, it would be too much with the other children. I don't know...I had the thought of flying over to surprise them."

Marie started to say something when the front door opened and a short, older, plump spanish woman walked in. She startled a little when she saw the people standing there. "Señor Logan. Me asustaste. Pensé que estabas fuera de la ciudad por el fin de semana." (Mister Logan. You scared me. I thought you were out of town for the weekend.)

Logan smiled and gave the woman a hug. "Sorry to scare you, Sophia. I didn't leave town, just staying with a friend for the weekend."

He reached over to Marie and put his arm around her shoulders. "Sophia, this is Marie. Hopefully you'll see more of her around here. Marie, this is Sophia, my housekeeper."

Marie stuck out her hand and spoke slowly, trying to remember her high school Spanish. "Um...Es un...um... placer...um... conocerte."

Sophia shook her hand. "Si, si. Nice to meet you. Is ok. I speak the English good enough. Señor Logan, he scare me is all. I not know he is home. You stay here tonight?" She smiled and sounded a little excited about the possibility of a guest.

Logan shook his head. "I just stopped by to get the carpet cleaner...unless...Marie would like to stay here tonight." He gave her a look that said '_please say yes.'_

She shook her head. "Logan, we've already been through this. With everything going on, I don't want to leave the apartment empty too long."

He sighed. "Alright darlin', I know, you're right. Maybe some other time, Sophia."

"Si, si. I make you frittatas for breakfast when you come visit, and sopapillas too!"

Marie licked her lips. "I love sopapillas. I look forward to it."

Sophia's eyes brightened. "Ah! Si! I teach you how to make them! Señor Logan eats them all down before they have a chance to cool off!" She laughed.

Logan chuckled. "Well, if you wasn't such a good cook, I wouldn't be so greedy." He gave a kiss on Sophia's round cheek. "We have to go now. You behave, Sophia, no wild parties while I'm gone!" He chuckled.

Sophia laughed and gave a playful swat to Logan's arm. "Oh señor Logan, you make me have no fun?"

Logan chuckled. "Well...at least don't have the Policia called!"

They both went into a roar of laughter as Logan walked with Marie towards the door. As they got into the truck, Marie was a bit taken aback. "Logan, it's none of my business, but how can you afford all of this?"

He gave her a sly smile. "You'll see tomorrow night. My side job pays for all of this. I figure, in about 2 or 3 years, the mortgage to the house will be paid off way ahead of schedule. My regular job? Well...that's just stash cash for extras like vacation and stuff."

Marie was a little surprised by that and remembered his comment about the side job being "not exactly legal." It made her wonder what it might be and if it was something she could really accept.

He cleaned the rug and used the attachments to clean the drapes and furniture. The stain was gone as well as the cat smell. Marie finally felt like she could take a deep breath without gagging.

That night, she asked Logan if he wanted to sleep in her bed and she would take the couch, but he refused saying that he would be a shitty person for kicking his host out of her own bed.

When she blushed and offered to share a bed, he just shook his head and said "no." They both understood why it would be a bad idea and that "sharing" a bed would end up leading to something more. It was too soon, too fast for that to happen.

**_Next chapter...Logan's "side job," a special guest appearance and more!_**


	10. Chapter 10

_**A/N:** Ok my dear friends, I think you've been tortured enough LOL! Logan's "side job," a special guest appearance, and more. Enjoy and please let me know if the wait was worth it. :)_

**Chapter 10**

Marie was nervous as Logan drove to his "side job." He wouldn't give any clue as to what she should expect and she was surprised when he pulled into a lot that looked like an abandoned warehouse. As he drove around towards the back, she got a sinking feeling that he might intend to break into it, stealing equipment to sell, and that's where the money was coming from. She was once again surprised when she saw all the vehicles parked around back. _What in the world is going on here?_ She thought to herself.

Once they got inside, she heard the loud music, roaring of the crowd and her eyes instantly went towards the center where she saw 2 men in what looked like a boxing ring surrounded by a very tall wire fence. The men were pounding each other to a pulp as the crowd roared out.

"_Kill him!"_

_"Come on you pussy! Get up!"_

_"Drop an elbow on him! Crush him!"_

_"Son of a bitch! I got a hundred riding on you! Get your fucking ass up, you little bitch!"_

Marie's eyes got wide as she looked at Logan. "L-Logan? You gamble on this stuff?"

He gave her a kiss on the top of her head. "Not exactly, honey." He waved over another man. "Lou. Keep an eye on her for me. Marie, hon, I gotta go do something for a bit, but Lou here will take care of you, make sure no one bothers you and get you whatever you want. I'll be back in a bit." He gave her another kiss and hurried away before she could say anything.

She blinked up at the tall, bald head muscular man full of tattoos and facial piercings. "Um...Lou is it? Uh...what exactly does Logan do here?"

He looked down at her, slightly intimidating. "He didn't tell you? Well...guess you'll find out in a few minutes. Want a beer or something? Then I'll get you up front so you don't miss the action."

"Uh...yeah...a beer I guess."

As Lou got Marie to the front, she was shocked to see Logan, wearing faded jeans and a wifebeater getting into the ring as the announcer's voice boomed over the loudspeaker. "Ladies and gentlemen! The main event! The moment you've all been waiting for! Laughlin City Underground proudly presents... The King Of the Cage...Still remaining champion! The _WOOOOLLLLVEERRRRRIIIIINNNNNEE!"_

The crowd went into a thunderous roar as Logan raised his arms and swaggered around the ring.

His first opponent stepped in and the bell rang. Marie stood wide-eyed and mouth gaping as she watched Logan punch and jab at the other man. His challenger was at least a half foot taller than him and looked like he could bench press a car! That didn't seem to impress Logan, however, as he let out a right undercut to the man's jaw, snapping his head back.

Marie winced when the man came back with a roundhouse kick to Logan's side, causing him to run into the fence next to Marie. For a second, she swore she could hear Logan laughing over the roaring crowd.

Logan pushed off of the fence, jumped high into the air and came down with his right fist, making direct contact to the man's nose. The crowd let out a collective "ooohhh!" when the blood sprayed out. Logan came in fast with a left hook, a kick to the knee and finished him off with another uppercut to the jaw. The man staggered for a few steps before falling flat on his back, out cold.

The next opponent came in and Logan made the mistake to get distracted, seeing Marie up front, he gave her a smile and wink. The other man took advantage of the distraction and ran across the ring, kicking Logan between the legs. All the men in the place let out a sharp. "Omf!"

Marie winced, Logan's eyes got wide as he blew out a hard breath. She noticed the instant, drastic change in the look on Logan's face. His eyes flashed, he grinded his teeth and a deep scowl came on him. "You mother fucker!" Logan hollered out.

Before anyone knew it, Logan spun, grabbing the man by the throat with his left hand, hoisting him in the air and slamming him against the fence. With his right fist, he pounded the man's face over and over. He didn't stop until several others ran into the ring and grabbed at him, pulling him off of the man.

The man, bloody and beaten, crumpled to the mat unconscious. The announcer got into the face of the unconscious man and trash talked him into the microphone. "Don't you know, dumbass? You never kick the Wolverine in the balls! It just pisses him off! What an idiot! _NEXT!"_

Logan took a long pull of his beer as he kept his back to Marie. He wouldn't make the mistake to be distracted by her again as he grumbled to himself that he shouldn't have brought her here in the first place.

The next opponent entered. Logan smirked. He had went up against this guy before. The pair circled around each other as they chatted. "You must really like having me beat the shit outta you, don't ya, Wade."

"Ah, shut the fuck up, Logan. So the last couple times you got lucky. You going down tonight asshole. There's gonna be a new king around here."

"HA! You tell'n _me_ to shut up? This coming from the man who can't keep his trap shut for five seconds? I bet you talk in your sleep. Hey...how's that honey bear of yours doing? Knocked up yet?"

"Not yet. We're still trying. You still sleezing around with those bar sluts? Gonna catch something from one of them someday."

"You know that's impossible. Naw...I think I might be starting to settle down."

"Well damn! She must be one hell of a woman to tame the mighty Wolverine. Bring her by sometime so I can meet her. I'm sure Vanessa will love her."

"Yeah...I'll do that sometime. Ready to get your ass kicked again? Ding ding." Logan grinned.

The two men went at it. Marie watched as one blow was matched with another. Kick after kick didn't seem to phase either man, they were too evenly matched. She ducked out of reflex when Logan's body was flung into the fence in front of her and gasped as Wade gave Logan several hard kicks to the right side of his ribs.

Logan momentarily dropped down, as he felt his bones crack. Holding his ribs, he laughed as he spit out the blood from his mouth. "Shit Wade! Is that all you got?"

Wade came in with another kick, but Logan quickly grabbed his foot, twisting his ankle. Wade let out a holler as he went face first to the mat. Logan was quick to roll himself onto Wade's back and put him into a choke hold. The muscles in Logan's arms bulged as he squeezed at Wade's neck. "Come on you son of a bitch! Tap out!"

Wade gasped for air but refused to tap out. Logan felt the ring referee tap him on the shoulder. "Shit!" He released Wade and stood up, circling for position as Wade got to his feet.

Before Wade had his feet fully under him, Logan jumped into a back flip, kicking Wade under the jaw. Once he made his landing, he followed with a side swing kick to Wade's head. Bones crunched and Wade's eyes rolled up. "Oh fuu-" was the only thing that Wade said as he went limp to the mat.

Logan stood with wide eyes. "Oh shit! Please don't tell me I just..." He dropped down next to Wade and tapped him on the face a few times. "Come on buddy. You can't die on me. Come on." He let out a big breath when he saw Wade's chest suddenly rise, taking in air. "Oh thank god."

After Wade was carried out of the ring, Marie watched as he defeated several more opponents. Afterwards, Lou took Marie to the back room where the fighters changed clothes. After making sure it was only Logan in the room, he let Marie in and closed the door behind him.

"Logan! I-I can't believe it! This is what you do on the weekends? Is the money really worth getting the shit knocked out of you?"

"It's not that bad, really. Fuck! For a second, I thought I killed Wade! Shoulda known the bastard is too stubborn to die, don't know what I was worried about."

"Not that bad!? Logan! Look at your face! You're bleeding and bruised! And what if you had killed that guy?"

Logan was at the sink washing the blood from his face. When he was done, he stayed hunched over with his back to Marie. "If I killed Wade, that would have really sucked! We're not really friends, but kinda friends. We hang out sometimes. He said he'd like to meet you and you can meet his wife. She's really nice and the two of you might get along."

Logan stood and turned towards Marie. Her eyes got wide. "L-Logan? What happened to that gash over your eye?"

He stood silently as she watched him for a moment. Before her eyes, the bruises healed and if she hadn't seen it herself, she'd never would have known the kind of beating he had taken this night. She gasped as her hand went to her mouth. "L-Logan! Y-you're...a...mutant?"

He quickly took a step towards her. "Shhh! Don't say that so loud! People around here can't know that." He said in a stern, hushed voice.

"B-but..." She stammered for something to say.

"I tried to tell you, but you wouldn't listen." He backed away. His heart pounded as his mind raced. Oh sure, she _talked_ about mutants being like regular people, but how would she react being face to face with one?

After a few moments of awkward silence, he finally spoke. "Ok, Marie. I'll take you home and collect my stuff and never bother you again."

Without warning, she flung herself at him and planted a deep kiss on his lips. "In a way...I think I knew that's what you were trying to tell me last night. I just wasn't ready to listen." She whispered out.

Slighty surprised, slightly relieved and still fuled by adrenaline, he hungerily returned the kiss, pushing her against the wall, he lifted her legs to wrap around his waist. She writhed against him, grinding herself into his hardening bulge as his hips thrust into her. His hand slid up under her shirt, as he cupped and squeezed at her breast. Her hand slid down, unbuttoning his jeans as she slipped her hand into them, stroking at his hardness.

Reluctantly he broke the kiss and pulled away from her. "N-not here. Let's g-go back to your p-place." He sputtered out breathlessly.

She nodded as he quickly situated his clothes, shoved his fighting clothes into the gym bag and flung it over his shoulder. They were in such a heated rush to leave he had forgotten until he heard Lou call out. "Hey man! Ain't you forgetting something?"

Logan spun and half growled at Lou. He chuckled from embarrassment when he saw the envelope that Lou was trying to hand him. "Um...oh yeah...I...uh..."

Lou gave him a knowing grin. "Have a good night. See you next week."

"Yeah." Logan replied as he tapped the envelope to his forehead in a mock salute.

XXX

As they drove back to her apartment, Logan tossed the envelope to Marie. "You tell me if it's worth it."

She opened the envelope and pulled out the stack of money. After she counted it she looked at Logan in shock. "Holy fuck! There's over five grand here!"

"Not bad for a couple hours work, huh?" He grinned.

"She shook her head. "Hell...for this kind of cash, I might get into that ring."

Logan snapped his head to her. "Absolutely not! No way in hell are you going to fight!"

"Don't they let women fight?"

"Yeah...the women's fight night is on Saturdays, but those women are beasts! They'll rip you apart! I'm serious, don't even _think_ about it!"

"Oh...but its ok for you because you're a mutant and have an unfair advantage?"

"Yes! No! I mean...no! Because I've trained in all sorts of martial arts fighting and if I need to, I can get down and dirty with some good old fashioned street fighting! I'm serious Marie. If you wanna watch from the sidelines, fine, but I'll be damned if you actually get in the ring! Just get that idea out of your head right now."

"You could train me."

Logan let out a laugh. "I'm serious Marie, I'm not going to let you fight, no matter how good the money is. If you want me to show you some moves, fine, but it will only be for self defense, protection. That's all...nothing more. I'm only doing this fighting for a few more years to get the house paid off and pad up my funds a little, then I'm out. The ring isn't for a lady like you."

Marie gave him a look and it took him a few seconds to decipher it. "Oh fuck...you're screwing with me, aren't you?"

She let out a roar of a laugh as she handed the envelope back to him. He shook his head. "I think I love you, Marie."

She leaned over and gave him a soft kiss on the lips. "Ditto."

He shifted a moment. "And um...the other thing?"

She shrugged a shoulder. "So, you're a mutant. So what. It doesn't define the man you are. I mean...taking a beating and not show a scratch for it? What's so bad about that?"

"There's more, darlin'. A lot more."

"Yeah? Like what?"

"Ok...well...I've been shot before. A lot of times actually, you already know about my ability to heal, and um...well..." He held up his hand and clutched it into a fist. "You ready for this?"

She nodded, not sure what to expect, but ready to see it. Her eyes got wide as 3 bone claws slowly came out, growing long. She ran her fingers down the claws and gasped out. "Holy hell!"

He chuckled. "Yeah...that was my reaction when they first came out."

"How old were you when it first happened?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "13, 14. It was a very long time ago, I don't really remember."

She waved a dismissive hand at him. "Oh come on, Logan. You're not that old. What? Mid thirties."

"Um...ok...I'm going to tell you something, but keep in mind I like my truck. Try not to shit yourself. I'm actually 187 years old."

Marie sat for a moment. "Ok...you're screwing with me, right."

He looked directly at her. "I'm serious. I was born in 1832 in Alberta, Canada. My brother Vic is 3 years older than me. I moved to the states in 1860, just before the Civil War. I also served in WWII, but after that, I got out and stayed low since then. Vic doesn't let anyone know he's a mutant either, other than Susan, and a few of his superior officers, he likes the discipline of the military more than I did."

She sat for another few minutes, taking it all in before Logan spoke again. "Darlin', I promise you...I'll never lie to you or keep secrets from you. You deserve better than that, but if it's something you can't live with...as much as it hurts, I'll understand."

She shook her head. "Logan. I'm sorry. The healing, the claws...hell...even your age I can live with, but...a _Canadian?_ No way! Deal off!"

Logan's eyes got wide. "What the fuck! Are you- oh shit! Ok...you got me again! You're gonna pay for that!"

They both laughed as he pulled his truck up to her apartment and parked.

\--

**_Whaaa! Wade Wilson? Deadpool? Ok, seriously... who saw that coming? MUWAHAHA!_**


	11. Chapter 11

_**A/N:** Thank you all for the wonderful reviews. I'm so pleased that every one was surprised at the guest appearance by Wade Wilson. Will we see Wade again? Will there be an appearance by Victor? Guess you'll have to read on to find out. (I'm so evil LOL!)_

_PS...sorry to any Canadian friends out there reading for Marie's little shot at Logan...but c'mon! That was funny!_

_Alright everyone, this one is a little long, but there's a lot going on here so...buckle up for some happy fun dirty sexy time ;)_

**Chapter 11**

They crashed blindly through her door, tangled in each others arms, and the feverish kisses they both engaged in. Logan kicked at the door to close it, reaching behind him fumbling for the lock. When he couldn't lock the door and kiss Marie at the same time, he cursed at having to pull his lips away from her just to deal with a stupid lock!

Now that the door was securely locked, he turned his attention back to Marie, lifting her up and wrapping her legs around him as he walked them into her bedroom.

He quickly pulled her shirt off and tossed it to the side as he pulled them both to the bed. He pulled her bra up, revealing her soft, luscious breast. He trailed his kisses down her neck until his warm mouth sucked in a nipple, teasing with his tongue.

She moaned and arched her back, grinding herself into him as his mouth sucked one nipple and his fingers twisted and pulled at the other. His hips bucked into her as he shamelessly humped her, grinding his hard bulge into her wanting desire.

His hand slid behind her back as his mouth moved over to the other nipple, expertly unhooking her bra and tossing it to the unknown.

She worked frantically to pull his shirt off, tossing it away as she ran her hands along his hard, sculpted muscles. She was in a hot fever and her head swimming as she felt him grinding into her over and over. God! She wanted him buried deep inside of her right now!

His hand slid down, unbuttoning her jeans and slipping his hand down inside her panties. He was pleased to find she was already wet, but he wanted her wetter. His two fingers slipped deep inside of her, rubbing and twisting around as she moaned out. "Oh god Logan! God yes! I want you!"

He increased his speed and movements of his fingers in her. He knew she was close and wanted her to explode in his hand. "God yes Marie! Cum baby, cum for me!"

She let out a loud yell and growled out his name. _"LOGAN!_ Oh fuck yeah!"

He felt her wet juices running down his fingers and hand as her body involuntarily trembled. He pulled his hand from her jeans, his fingers wet and slick with her nectar. He sucked his fingers into his mouth, licking at her fresh, warm essence. "Mmm...you're so sweet. More...I want more!" He huffed out.

In a smooth motion, he stripped her of her jeans and panties, thrusting his mouth to her sweet spot, lapping at her wetness. His tongue flicked at the nerve cluster before plunging deep inside of her. He maneuvered his tongue around as he sucked and teased on the nerve bundle.

Her fingers balled into his hair, the nails digging at his scalp as her hips bucked and rocked against his mouth. "Oh god Logan! I'm-I'm gonna-gonna oooohhhh!"

He sucked hard, not wanting to miss a drop of her sweet essence into his mouth. When he was satisfied that he got every bit of her, he pulled back from her and stood up. He stumbled a little from being light headed, but quickly regained himself as he undid his pants, kicked his shoes off and yanked his jeans off.

Marie's eyes got wide as she saw his standing erection. _Goddamn! He's a helluva lot bigger than Scott! How the fuck is THAT gonna fit!?_ She thought to herself as he quickly pulled a foil packet from his wallet.

Just as Logan put the packet between his teeth to rip it open, he saw the look on Marie's face. "What? I told you I was too careful to not have any kids running around."

She shook her head. "No...it's not that. It's just...uh...never mind."

He started to roll the latex down onto himself. "Well what then? You allergic to latex or something? If you are, I should know this."

"No. It's...uh...well...you know that...um...S-Scott is the only man I've ever been with, and..."

Logan's head dropped. "Fuck...you're having second thoughts, aren't you? Ok honey...we don't have to do this tonight. We can stop here if that's what you want."

She quickly sat up and kissed him. "No! That's not it! I don't want to stop. Good god Logan, I've wanted to fuck you...be fucked _by_ you since we first met!"

"Well...what is it then? What's wrong?"

She closed her eyes and let out a breath before blurting out. "You're fucking _huge!"_

Logan looked down at himself and busted out laughing. "Usually women wait until it's over before stroking my ego."

"No Logan! I'm serious! Compared to Scott...you're like fucking King Kong! I didn't know guys could...could get _that_ big!"

Logan had a surprised look as he smirked. "Cool...one more thing I got on Scooter. Ok darlin', I'll be gentle with ya, but can we _please_ stop talking about that jackass now before I go soft?" He chuckled.

"Oh. Yeah, sure. Come here." She kissed him hard, her tongue seeking out his as he threaded his fingers through her hair.

He gently pushed her back down onto the bed, rolling himself on top of her. He pulled his head back and looked deep into her eyes. "Oh shit honey. For the first time in damn near fourty years, I think I'm really falling hard here. I don't wanna just fuck you. I want to be with you, I wanna be your every thing. Tell me you feel the same."

She nodded. "Yes Logan. I can't explain it, but somehow, I know it was meant to be this way for us."

He smiled at her as he gently pushed himself into her. She let out a soft whimper as he pushed a little deeper. He nuzzled her neck as he fought to control himself, taking his time, being slow and gentle with her. He gave a thrust, a little more of himself. "Oh shit Marie. You're so tight. Fuck...I don't think I can control it. I want to be in you...all the way in you."

She whimpered again. "Oh god Logan. I want to feel you deep in me. Ah! Oh! Baby! It hurts!"

"Do you want me to stop?" He whispered against her.

"N-no. No, I don't want you to stop. Just...just give me a second."

He nodded. "Ok baby. Just relax. It's ok. Relax. There you go, that's good." He thrust his hips again, a little bit more of himself.

She could feel his body shaking against her, she knew he was holding back to be slow and gentle with her. She lifted her hips slightly to help him along, but each small push, she felt a bit of pain as her muscles and tissues stretched beyond the limits of what they were accustomed to.

He shifted himself to look into her eyes as his body trembled harder. She didn't understand what she was seeing. Bright gold rings of fire flickering on the outer rim of his brown hazel eyes.

Logan, on the other hand, knew exactly what was happening. He was battling a war on two fronts. On the one front, he was fighting himself, to keep from being too aggressive with Marie. On the other front, he was fighting his beast to keep him from taking over and possibly killing Marie.

He felt the itch in the back of his brain. The beast had chosen her, chosen Marie. This was the beast's mate. The beast would never kill her...intentionally that is, but the nagging fear made Logan fight hard to keep the beast chained.

Logan was at his end, he couldn't take it any more. "Oh god Marie." He pushed hard and deep into her as she let out a yell. He settled a moment, holding her to him. "I'm sorry baby, I just...oh god I'm so close!"

She huffed out. "Yes Logan...take me. I'm almost there."

He thrust hard into her as her hips moved in time with his. Her whimpers turned into pants as he thrust himself over and over into her. "Oh god! Marie! I'm gonna cum! Oh oh!

"Yes Logan! Yes!" She looked into his eyes again as she released herself. The gold fire grew deeper and more intense as Logan's release came forth. A primal growl rose from deep within him as he collapsed down onto her.

He breathed heavily for a moment before pulling out and headed to the bathroom to take care of the prophylactic, stumbling into the wall a couple times on his way out.

She heard the toilet flush and water running. A moment later he returned with a washcloth in his hand. The cool cloth felt good against her skin as he gently cleaned her. "I'm sorry if I hurt you. I tried hard to control myself."

She shook her head. "You didn't hurt me too much. It's ok. It was wonderful." She leaned up to him and gave him a long, deep, loving kiss.

He went back to the bathroom to put the cloth away, when he came back and snuggled under the covers with Marie, he held her tight to him. "Baby, I'm really sorry if I hurt you."

She giggled a little. "I might be a little sore in the morning, but you don't have to be sorry, really, it was great. I loved having you in me like that. In fact...I'd love it again."

He jerked his head back quickly. "Y-you mean...now? Well...um...give me a minute or two and I can make that happen."

She laughed. "Ok...you got 2 minutes or I start without you."

He couldn't believe what he was hearing! "Holy shit, Marie! That did it! I love you! I mean I really love you! The second those papers are signed...marry me!"

She ran her fingers through his hair as her face took on a serious tone. "Logan, what happened to you?"

He crinkled his brows at her. "What do you mean? When?"

"When we were making love. Your eyes. Something happened."

He dropped his head. He knew his beast was close to the surface, but he didn't know he was that close. Logan rolled to his back. "That's the other part of me. The beast. The Wolverine. I had to fight him hard to keep him from hurting you. I guess I wasn't very successful."

Marie sat up and shook her head. "I don't understand. You sound like you're talking about another person. Like a split personality or something."

He sat up to be at the same level with her. "It kind of is. There's me, Logan, the person you've known this entire time, and then there's the beast, Wolverine. He's wild, dangerous, an animal. He's the one that's the claws, healing and all of that. I just benefit from it. I try hard to keep him chained, but sometimes, I have to let him out and other times...he gets out on his own."

She looked down a moment. "Was it the beast in that ring?"

"A little bit, but I was in control, for the most part. It was Wolverine beating on that guy that kicked me in the sack. If it wasn't for those others and me fighting him, he would have killed that guy."

"Was it Wolverine who hurt your friend...when you thought you killed him?"

"Wade? Not a hundred percent. No. That was mostly me. I came in with a kick a little too hard and it scared me, that's all. Uh...Wade's a mutant too, thankfully, if he wasn't, he would have been dead. We practice on each other. He has the same healing as I do. Don't know how, but he does, we can let loose our full power on each other and know we'll both walk away from it."

"So...why aren't the two of you closer friends then?"

Logan cocked a brow. "Truthfully? Because he's a dick." He waved a dismissive hand. "Ah...he's ok to have a drink with now and then, but that's about it. His wife on the other hand, she's really great. I still have no clue why she got with a jerk like him. Oh well."

"Logan...could-could you...let your beast out? I'd really like to know that part of you."

His eyes got wide as he looked at her stunned. "No! Didn't you hear me? I said he's a wild animal! He's dangerous!"

She shook her head. "If we're going to have a relationship, I'm going to see him at some point. You can't keep him chained forever, you said so yourself, sometimes he comes out on his own. I'm gonna have to meet him sometime."

Logan thought about it for a moment. He could feel the beast pushing him, but this time, there was something different about it. The beast didn't want to come out and fight or kill. There was something soft about the prodding. The beast wanted to..._speak_ with Marie?

Logan looked up at Marie. His eyes flashed a full, bright amber. Marie gasped. "L-Logan?"

"Logan's not here right now. It's me...Wolverine."

"Oh...um...ok. Hi."

"Ok...let's get a few things straight right now. First off, knock off the sweet girly shit. You're a shit ton stronger than this mousey thing that asshole made you into. By the way, next time Scooter shows up on your doorstep, tell him where he can shove it."

"Next...you got Logan, you got me too. I'm an asshole. Deal with it. Finally, don't think for a second that just because you're a chick, I won't rip your head off. You hurt Logan in any way, you using him for a rebound fuck or just because you don't want to be alone...I'll fuck you up so bad you'll beg me to kill you just to end it. Got it?"

She jabbed a finger in his chest. "Hey! First off, I have no intention of hurting Logan. I'm not with him just because I don't want to be alone. I like him, I really like him. I'm not afraid to be on my own, in fact I had no intention to find someone after Scott. It just happened, it wasn't planned and I wasn't looking for it. Second, you don't scare me, Wolverine. I'll cut your damn balls off and shove them down your throat before you can even think about hurting me. So you can take your tough guy act and stuff it."

Wolverine cracked a smile. "Ohh hoo hoo. There she is. There's the real Marie. Baby...this is what I smelled on you the second you walked into Logan's office. Damn you don't know how bad I wanted to bend you over that desk and fuck you right there!"

"I...uh...what?" She stammered in shock.

"Ok...look. I know you won't hurt Logan, but you haven't really let your true self out. I just had to push your buttons a little. You act all timid and shit, but I know that's not the real you. That fuck nut husband of yours mentally beat you down to this. I can tell. Marie, you were once strong and confident. We have to find that person in you again. I'll be damned if I let my mate go around the rest of her life not believing in herself."

"Your...excuse me? Your what?"

"Marie darlin', I've chosen you. You're my mate. Now and forever. Walk away if you want, but you'll always be my mate. Nothing will change that and I'll fight with every fiber of my being to care for my mate. We're bound together now. The true 'till death we part. The only thing left now is to make it official."

"Make it official? You mean...get married?"

Wolverine shook his head. "No. That's the baseline bullshit. We're not like that. What I'm talking about is much more intense, personal. Ok...yeah...Logan wasn't joking when he said he wanted to marry you, but um...well...maybe I influenced that a little. Just like I influenced him to stop fucking around with those bar whores, keeping him for you."

"So...what is it that you do to make it...official?"

"We give ourselves to each other. Every part of us. Mind, body, heart and soul. Marie, I would lay my life down for you...literally. Would you do the same for me? Think hard before you answer, this isn't just words your saying. You have to truly feel this way, down to the core of you. If it came down to it...would you die for me?"

Marie thought for a moment. "Yes. Yes Wolverine. I would die for you and Logan. I would never let someone hurt either one of you. I would do anything to keep you both safe."

Wolverine took in a sharp breath. He leaned in and gave her a deep kiss. Breaking the kiss he nuzzled into her neck and inhaled her scent "Marie, that's exactly what I'm talking about. Your love is for both of us." He whispered into her ear.

He pulled her to him, turning her to her knees and positioning himself behind her. He thrust himself deep and hard into her, his hands on her hips as he pushed and pulled on her to set the pace.

Her hips rolled with him as she moaned and cried out at his hard thrusts. He turned her head to face him. His eyes flashed a deeper amber as he watched the muscles in her face twist with the ecstasy he was giving her. He felt himself getting close. "Marie! Open your eyes! Look at me."

She opened her eyes and watched as the fangs grew out. He bent her head foward and to the side, stretching her neck for him. The fangs buried deep into her neck as she cried out. "Oh god! Wolverine! Logan! Yes! Yes! Oh god!" Her hips bucked harder, bringing him in deeper as her release came in wave after wave.

He lapped at the blood as the fangs dug into her deeper. Wolverine had only bitten 2 others like this, marking them as his mate, but never this deep. It was this moment that he knew, somehow Marie was more than his mate, she was part of his soul.

He continued his thrusts as his fangs stayed in her. When she thought her wave of release was over, another, more powerful wave came on her. She writhed and alternately screamed Wolverine and Logan's names.

Finally he released his fangs from her, snapping his head back, he gave one final hard thrust. So hard Marie swore he broke past her cervix and directly into her womb, but that's impossible...isn't it? Wolverine screamed out in his hard release. "Oh god! Marie! My mate! Marie!"

He collapsed down on top of her, panting hard, staying in her as he felt more of his seed gushing out. "Oh...oh...oh shit!" His body trembled with the sensation of the wave he didn't expect. "Oh my g-god! That's a first!"

They both laid, shaking hard and gulping for air. Finally the shaking subsided and their breathing calmed. Wolverine gently kissed the place he marked her. "You understand now. You're my mate. No one else...ever."

Marie nodded her head. He pulled out of her and started to shift off of her. She quickly rolled over and sat up, facing him. The look she gave made Wolverine stop all movement. As a predator and wild animal, he recognized the wild flashing in her eyes and it stunned him.

Before he knew what was happening, she lunged towards him with a growl, her teeth digging deep into his neck. Even though she didn't have fangs to puncture the skin, she bit down hard. His healing wouldn't allow her mark to remain, but Wolverine relished in the feel of it, pulling her tight against him. She truly understood. He had marked her as his mate, she was now marking him as her mate. "Oh yes Marie! I'm yours! All yours!"

Marie pulled back and looked Wolverine directly in the eyes. "Mine. No one else. Ever."

He threaded his hands through her hair and pulled her to him as he smiled. He whispered out. "No one else. Ever." He gave her a deep kiss. Picked her up into his arms and carried her into the bathroom. He was soft and attentive as he cleaned her head to toe.

After the shower, he gently combed her wet hair and pinned it up for the night. He wrapped her in Logan's oversized towel sheet and carried her back to the bedroom where he ordered her to wait before getting into bed. He found the bed sheets and fresh linens.

Once the bed was freshened, he scooped her into his arms again and gently laid her on the bed, pulling the towel from her as he covered her with the blanket. He crawled under the blanket with her and held her in his arms. "Do you want me to stay with you or do you want Logan back now?"

She gently ran her fingers through his hair. "Truthfully, other than the eyes...I can't tell too much difference between the two of you."

Wolverine jerked back and looked at her in shock. _"WHAT!_ You can't...I'm not...oh hell! I'm outta here! Logan can deal with this one!"

Marie laughed as she watched the amber fade and replaced by the brown hazel. "Marie...that was mean. Don't poke the bear, trust me on this one. Just don't."

She spoke through her giggles. "You were aware of everything going on?"

"Yes. I know every detail." He ran his fingers across the place where Wolverine marked her. "I'm sorry he bit you that deep. He's never bitten that hard before. I'm not sure why he was so hard with you. Maybe because you stood up to him. It was a shock for both of us. On top of that...no one has ever marked us either. We belong to you now, you understand that."

She nodded her head. "As much as I belong to you, both of you."

He smiled down at her. "I wasn't joking. As soon as those divorce papers are signed...we'll get married."

She smiled back at him. "Didn't we just get married?"

He chuckled. "In a way. Go to sleep now baby." He wrapped his arms around her.

"Logan?"

"Hmm?" He continued to keep his arms around her.

"Wolverine has bitten others? Marking them as his mate?"

"Yeah. Twice before you. The last one...she died of old age over 40 years ago. The first one was in 1852. We were together for 3 years before she died."

"What happened?"

"The house caught fire. She died from the smoke. I tried to get her out, but it was too late."

"And you never had children with either of them?"

"My first wife...mate, she wasn't able to have children. We tried, but it never happened. My second...our first born, he got sick when he was 6 months and passed away from the high fever. Our second, my daughter, she grew to a beautiful young woman, but died during childbirth. They didn't know the things about eclampsia back then like they do now."

"Wait...so you're a grandfather?"

"Yep. Great-grandfather actually. Last I heard."

"Don't you talk to them?"

"No. As far as my grandson knows...I died when he was a baby. Easier that way. Someone as old as I am, every generation or so, I fake my death, change my name and move on. It's how I stay under the radar as a mutant. I keep track through public records and vital statics though. Y'know, marriages, births, deaths. I did go to my grandson's high school graduation though, just wanted to see him receive his diploma. I didn't make contact, and I think his father saw me, but I slipped out before he had a chance to try and talk to me. That was the last time I ever went near him."

"That's so sad to know that you have family out there and you can't even talk to them."

"Yeah...but I guess it's what I have to do to keep them safe."

"So...Logan isn't really your name?"

"James Logan Howlett. I use different variations of my name. Last time I was James Logan, before that, Logan Jameson."

"Um...so...what about children before condoms were invented?"

He chuckled. "Honey...there's been various types of birth control since the time of the pharaohs. Not very comfortable, but it did the trick. The beginning of the modern condom was invented in 1844, I was only 12 at the time and not having sex yet. If all else fails...there's always pulling out."

"Um...ok...so you were aware of what happened when Wolverine took over...so you know...right?"

"Yeah baby, I know. Go to sleep now."


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12**

Monday came and luckily for Marie, it was cold enough that she kept her scarf on so there wouldn't be any awkward questions about the mark on her neck. She had the thought of stopping by the thrift store to get a few turtle-neck sweaters to wear until it healed. She frowned a bit that Logan's neck looked pristine. _Not fair!_ She told herself more than once throughout the day.

Logan had mention a few times about having the nagging feeling that he was being watched and followed. During their breaks as the pair smoked, his eyes would dart around the parking lot, scanning for vehicles he didn't recognize.

He spotted a few, but then again, there were a couple new employees that day and it wasn't too unusual for others to drive a different car to work now and then. _Just being paranoid._ He told himself.

Tuesday morning, Marie went to leave for work and the car wouldn't start. "Damnit!" She hollered as she pounded her hands on the steering wheel. She grabbed her phone and called Logan. "Hey. I'm sorry to do this to you, but my car won't start."

"Did you run out of gas again?" Logan replied with a slight chuckle.

"No. I just put gas in last night. I don't know why it won't start."

"Ok. I'm less than 10 minutes away. Maybe the battery needs jumped. I'll be there in a few."

"Ok. Thanks...sugar."

"Aw now. Don't start that sweet talk or we might not make it to work today...angel."

She giggled. "Now would that be so bad? I'll see you in a few, baby."

He chuckled. "K babe." He hung up.

She leaned against her car to smoke a cigarette while waiting. She noticed the 2 guys walk past her, but didn't notice when they turned around.

One of the men grabbed her purse. "Give me your purse!" He yelled.

Marie held on tight. "No! Get away from me!" She struggled and kicked at the man.

The second reached out to grab her arms. Marie stomped hard on his foot, then suddenly remembered she had on her steel toe boots. She kicked the man in the shin as hard as she could as he yelped.

The first man punched her hard in the face, knocking her unconscious. The two men loomed over the unconscious woman, laughing. "Hey. You really want to have some fun?" The first said to the second while unzipping his pants.

The second laughed. "Yeah...let's do it."

Just as the first started to pull at Marie's jeans, a big black Ford F-350 came to a screeching stop. Logan couldn't throw the truck into park fast enough as his eyes flashed to amber.

Wolverine jumped from the truck, pouncing towards the men. "Get your fucking hands off her!" He bellowed out.

The men stood, spinning towards Wolverine. One man pulled something from behind his back. Wolverine saw the flash of silver as the man flipped open the switchblade knife.

The man slashed at Wolverine, who quickly ducked out of the way and came back up with a hard uppercut.

The man flew 2 feet into the air, landing onto his back with a hard thud, knocking the wind out of him.

The other man jumped onto Wolverine's back, punching him in the side of the head. Wolverine reached back, grabbing the man by the neck, yanking him over his shoulder into a flip to the ground. A hard punch to the man's face put his lights out.

The other man got back to his feet and lunged at Wolverine. He howled as he felt the sharp stab of the knife run between his ribs.

The man pulled the knife back and began to come at Wolverine again, but suddenly backed up when Wolverine stood to his full height. "You like to play with knives? Try this out!" He smirked as the claws on both hands grew to their full length.

He swiped hard at the man, who quickly dodged the claws and came back at him with the knife, slashing his upper arm. "Fucking mutie!" He screamed.

Wolverine punched with his claws into the man's side. _There goes a lung_ he thought as the man went down gasping for air.

He heard the police sirens coming closer towards him and figured that one of the neighbors had called as he got to Marie. He knelt down next to her and gently lifted her head into his arms, stroking her hair. "Mate. Wake up! Mate, please!"

She moaned as he let out a relieved breath. His eyes quickly flashed back to the brown hazel as he heard one of the cops yelling. "Let her go! Get your hands up!"

Logan gently laid Marie back down and put his hands up. "I'm her boyfriend. These other two attacked her. I was protecting her."

The cop glance at the two on the ground. Marie moaned as her eyes fluttered open. "L-Logan? What's happening?"

Logan gave the cop a pleading look. He nodded his head and Logan bent down to hold Marie. "It's ok darlin', you're safe now."

XXX

Logan watched as the ambulance took Marie away as he told the police what he saw. When the officer asked how one of the assailants sustained 3 punctures to his side, deep enough to collapse a lung, Logan wasn't sure what to say.

He quickly pulled his box cutter from his pocket and told the officer that he had stabbed the man with it. The officer cocked a brow, not believing the story, but then gave Logan a little look. "Alright, so that's what will go in the report. You stabbed the assailant to defend your girlfriend."

Logan gave a little sniff. He knew that smell. A fellow mutant. The pair gave each other a knowing nod as Logan quietly muttered. "Yeah...that's what happened. Thanks. Can I go now? I'd like to get to the hospital."

As Logan started to get into his truck, he gave a quick look around. He still had the feeling that he was being watched. On the way to the hospital, he called the floor lead to tell him what had happened and that Marie wouldn't be in to work.

He followed the nurse through the emergency room and behind the curtain where Marie was laying in the bed. He let out a gasp at the large bruise around her swollen eye and the stitches in her cheek. "Oh god, Marie! Baby, I'm sorry I didn't get there sooner." He quickly grabbed her in a tight hug.

"It's not your fault. I'm alright."

He shook his head. "No. No, I should have stayed on the phone with you. I should have drove faster. I should have had you stay with me last night. I should have...I should have been there! I'm sorry, honey. I'm sorry."

She reached up and cupped his face in her hand. "Baby, none of this is your fault. You have nothing to be sorry for, please don't blame yourself for this."

Logan started to say something when the doctor came through the curtain. "Oh. I didn't know someone was here with you. Mrs. Summers, I've written a prescription for the pain. The x-rays don't show any broken bones, but you'll be sore for a few days. You're one lucky lady. Will you be taking her home, sir?"

Logan nodded. "Yeah. I'll take her home and stay with her tonight."

The doctor nodded. "Good. If there's any dizziness or nausea, bring her back to the hospital. You can follow up with your doctor to have the stitches removed in 7 days. Make sure to get plenty of rest."


	13. Chapter 13

_**A/N:** Hello? Is there anybody out there? Is there anyone home? Did I lose all my faithful readers or are you all still trying to catch your breaths from 'fun sexy time'? LOL. Hope everyone is still enjoying the adventure._

_Poor Marie. Thank goodness Wolverine showed up when he did! Let's find out what happens next..._

**Chapter 13**

As they left the hospital, Logan scanned around the parking lot. While he drove back to her apartment, he was so intent at watching the cars behind him, the nagging feeling they were being followed, he wasn't paying attention to what she was saying. "Logan. Are you listening to me?"

"Hmm? What? I'm sorry, dear. What were you saying?"

"I said the police came to the hospital to get my statement and take pictures of my injuries. One of the officers told me that these two punks have a long history of criminal activity. One of them is still on probation, and because of this, he'll end up getting an automatic 2 years for breaking his parole, plus whatever time the judge gives him for assaulting me. The officer said he might get at least 5 years total."

"That's nice." Logan said as he continued scanning the cars behind them.

"Well don't sound so enthusiastic." Marie huffed, obvious she was being ignored.

Logan snapped out of his scans. "No, really, I hope he does get that kind of time. Get that asshole off the streets. I'm sorry hon, I'm just a little distracted at the moment. I guess...just you being hurt has my mind a little twisted."

She leaned over and put a hand on his arm. "I guess I understand. Logan, seriously, don't beat yourself up over this, it wasn't your fault, it was mine, I should have stayed in the car or gone inside until you got there. I'm the one who acted foolish. I'm sorry."

Logan gave her a stern glare. "Don't you dare blame yourself! And I don't ever want to hear you put yourself down like that again. Darlin', you didn't do anything wrong, you shouldn't have to be afraid to be outside. The moment you feel up to it, I'll show you a few self defense moves. Ok?"

She nodded her head as he parked the truck next to her car. After helping her into the apartment, he paced around a moment. Finally he let out a breath. "Ok honey...start packing. You're moving in with me."

She blinked at him a moment. "Logan? What are you talking about? I can't just move in with you like that."

"Why not? It's a better neighborhood, I got plenty of room, a housekeeper, and I'll be there to protect you. Besides...we've marked each other, we're mated. Makes sense that we share a home."

"Logan, I have a lease. I can't just move out and break my lease like that."

"Ok. Fine. I'll buy out your lease, my god, Marie! Those guys were about to _rape_ you! If I hadn't gotten here in time... you're not staying here anymore. That's final!"

Marie gave him an angry glare. "Who the hell do you think you are ordering me around like that? I'm not moving in with you just because of some asshole punks! Something like this could have easily happened any where. Even in _your_ neighborhood, y'know!" She jabbed her finger in his chest to make her point.

His eyes briefly flashed. "Hey! Watch it, mate! You're really pushing it right now!"

"Shut up, Wolverine! I'm not talking to you, I'm talking to Logan! Ok...I get it, you're both freaked out at the moment, I'm a little freaked out too, but _Logan_ said that he would never try to take my independence away from me. Demanding that I move in with you, that's what you're doing right now, that's what you're _both_ doing. The day I move in with you should be by my choice and because we _all_ want that, not because of some circumstance."

Logan's eyes faded back to the hazel brown as he shook his head. "You're right honey, you're right. It should be because you _want_ to, because it's the right step in the progression of our relationship, not because you're...I'm..._we're_ scared. I didn't mean to sound so demanding, I...I just want you to be safe, that's all."

She wrapped her arms around his waist. "I know darlin', but I can't just run away either or I'll always be running away."

He gave her a tight squeeze. "You're right, but I'd feel better if you wasn't in such a shitty neighborhood." He shook his head. "Alright. Why don't you go take a relaxing bubble bath and get some rest. While you're doing that, I'll take a look at the car and try to figure out what the problem is. Now, go relax and I'll just be right outside." He gave her a kiss on the top of her head before she headed off to the bath.

He popped the hood and his jaw dropped at what he saw. He couldn't believe it! The battery and spark plug cables were gone. _Who? Why? Those punks? No. They can't be smart enough to do something like this just to set up a robbery. Then who? Why? _He stood for several minutes running those questions in his head before going back into the apartment.

He called through the bathroom door. "Honey? I gotta go get some parts for the car. I'm taking your keys with me. Stay inside and keep the door locked until I get back, ok."

"Ok." Came her reply. "What's wrong with the car?"

"Nothing too major, I can fix it easily enough. I'll be back soon. Don't open the door for anyone. Love you."

He went to get the battery and plug wires. _Might as well change the spark plugs while I'm at it. _He thought_. Well hell...might as well do an oil change and breaks too, just to make sure there isn't any more issues. Check the radiator and replace the hoses too. Shit! Just get her a whole new car...as if she would really let me do that for her. Oh well...just loving her and protecting her is good for now. One of these days, she'll see I'm not trying to keep her under my thumb and control her. Sheesh, that asshole really did a number on her! Glad it will be over soon and we can both move on with our lives...together._

As he started driving back to her apartment, he noticed a silver/grey Prius behind a couple other cars. He had noticed that Prius at the hospital and around her apartment. He took a sudden turn down one of the side streets. The Prius followed.

A few more random turns, the Prius still behind him. _Shit! This guy IS following me! That's it! Time to find out who the hell it is and why they're following me!_

Another random turn and Logan spotted a place to pull over for the confrontation. He glanced up in his mirror and saw that the Prius didn't turn, going straight on the other street. He pulled over and wiped a hand down his face. _Damnit. You're losing it! Just a coincidence that car turned on the same streets. Tons of Prius' out there. Maybe all the ones I spotted were different ones. Get a grip._

He got back to the apartment and let himself in. He peeked into the bedroom and found Marie sleeping. He quietly went over and placed a soft kiss on her forehead as she startled awake. "Hey, just me, I'm back. Didn't mean to scare you. Go back to sleep and I'll work on your car."

She nodded sleepily. "Ok sugar. How long will it take?"

"Not too long. An hour or so. I got some extra stuff, gonna change the oil and check a few things while I'm at it. The basics I can take care of, but if there's any bigger problems...we'll have to take it to the shop. Hey...um...what kind of car does Scooter drive?"

She rolled her eyes at him. She knew he refuses to call Scott by his name and there wasn't any point in arguing with him over it. "Scott drives a black Lexus. Why?"

"No reason. What about his little girlfriend? Do you know what kind of car she drives?"

She thought about it for a moment. "I think a blue CR-V. Logan? What's going on? Why are you asking me about cars?"

He blew out a breath. "Ok, honey. I don't want you to worry or panic, but you know how I've been telling you that I feel like someone has been watching me? Well...I keep seeing this silver Prius, and I think I was being followed from the parts store. I made some turns on some side streets and after a few streets, they drove off. Maybe just my imagination, but I can't shake the feeling that someone is watching me, following me."

She sat up in the bed. "And you think it might be Scott or Jean?"

"Yeah. I don't know. Maybe. Hey, um...does anyone else have a key to your car?"

She shook her head. "No. There was a second key, but it got lost a couple months before I left Scott. You don't think he found it or took it do you?"

"Maybe. Honey...your battery and plug wires were stolen from the car. Now, I'm not saying it was Scooter, could have been someone who used a coat hanger to pop the lock and took it to get money for drugs or something, but those are some odd things to steal from a car."

She agreed with that. "What if it was Scott? Why would he do something like that? What can we do to make sure it doesn't happen again?"

He shook his head. "I don't know why. Maybe just trying to fuck with you, make it so you can't go anywhere. Maybe he thought it would prevent you from seeing me, I don't know. We can get an alarm installed on your car, the place I got my truck done at does good work."

She bit at her lip. "How much would that cost?"

"Don't worry about it, I'll take care of it."

She shook her head. "Logan, I can't keep letting you do these things, you've already paid for so much...I just can't keep allowing you to do all this."

He gave her a warm smile. "I'm not doing anything I wouldn't want to do. Honey, I just want to make sure you're safe and taken care of."

She looked down and shifted a little before quietly speaking. "That's what Scott used to say."

Logan stood up and ran a hand through his hair, his frustration mounting. "I'm not trying to buy you or keep you under my thumb! Look kid, until you get this asshole out of your life permanently, I'm gonna do whatever it takes to make damn sure you're safe. If that means getting an alarm system on your car...so be it! I just want to make sure something like this doesn't happen again."

They sat in silence for several minutes before Logan finally stood. "I'm...uh...gonna go work on the car, just...uh...get some rest. I'll be back in soon." He gave her a quick peck before making his way out of the room.

After finishing with the car, he found Marie in the kitchen making a pot of coffee. He silently slipped behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. She startled. "Oh shit Logan! I didn't hear you coming in."

He gave her a light kiss on the neck. "Yeah...sorry. I do that. Didn't mean to startle you. Coffee ready?"

She turned and her jaw dropped when she noticed the bright amber eyes. "Wolverine?"

"Yeah?"

"Um...why?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "Thought you might still be mad at Logan, so I slipped my chains, just in case he might have to move fast. No since in letting him get hit upside the head if something came flying towards him." He chuckled.

She cocked her head to the side. "I don't see myself throwing anything at Logan...not today at least."

He nodded. "Good to know. You want Logan back now?"

She bit at her lip. "Not yet. Come here." She pulled him down to her and gave him a deep kiss.

Wolverine growled against her, pushing her to the counter, trapping her body between it and him as his hands ran feverishly up her shirt, cupping and squeezing at her breast. He had just opened her jeans and began to push his hand into them when Logan's phone rang.

Wolverine snarled. "Shit!" His eyes flashed back to the brown hazel as he looked at the caller ID. "Fuck...it's work."

Marie turned to make his cup of coffee as Logan spoke on the phone. "Yeah, Logan here. No, I didn't forget, I'll be in tomorrow for the meeting. Yeah...she should be fine, just uh, pretty shaken up, got a black eye and some stitches. She should back to work in the morning. Ok...see you in the morning."

Marie handed him his cup. "Do you think it was a good idea to let on that you know so much about what happened?"

Logan looked down a moment. "I called Rick this morning on my way to the hospital and told him what happened...that I was the one who fought those bitches off of you, so he already knows I was here so early. I'm sure he said something to Linda and that's how she knew to ask me about how you're doing."

"Linda? In HR?"

"Yeah."

Marie turned for a moment to think. When she turned back to Logan, she had a fearful look. "Are...are we going to get fired?"

He set his cup down and placed his hands on her shoulders. "Honey, I'll be honest, I don't know what will happen, but I promise...I won't let them fire you, no matter what it takes, you'll still have your job." He pulled her to him and gave her a kiss on the forehead as he embraced her in his arms.

They stood holding one another for a moment before Marie quietly asked. "Logan. Is that what the meeting is about tomorrow? Are they going to bring you in about us?"

He chuckled and shook his head. "No honey. This meeting has been scheduled for a few weeks now. I can't discuss it, upper management stuff, but it has nothing to do with us. Don't worry too much about it.


	14. Chapter 14

_**A/N:** Poor Marie. Someone messing with her car and getting mugged. At least she has Logan and Wolverine watching out for her now. Just hope Logan can keep an eye on his own back!_

**Chapter 14**

Logan stayed the night with Marie. It was the first time in a very long time that he had simply slept through the night with a woman curled into his arms and it felt great. When he woke, he laid for a long time watching her sleep. He thought about waking every morning to this sight and the more he thought, the more he knew this was right.

She stirred and opened her eyes, smiling at him. "Good morning."

"Morning sweetheart. How do you feel?"

She winced a little when she blinked. "Sore, but I'm fine." She snuggled into his arms. After a few moments they both sighed, dreading the fact that they had to part from one another to move about getting ready for work.

Once Marie got to work, she was overwhelmed with the outpour of her coworkers coming to her, asking if she was alright, needed anything, and their genuine concern for her. Some of the men were outraged that someone could do such a thing to a sweet girl and vowed what they would do if they ever got their hands on the punks.

Later in the day, the crew, including Marie, watched in curiosity as Logan and some others from upper management led a group of well-dressed people around the building. Logan pointed out some of the equipment, speaking to them as the group nodded.

The group was spotted several times walking through the aisles as Logan explained the day-to-day operations, trying his best to not look towards Marie whenever he spotted her. On one occasion when he spotted her working in an aisle, he hung back a little from the group as one of the other people from management was speaking.

He gave her a slight brush on the arm and quietly asked. "How are you holding up? Doing ok?"

She smiled and nodded. "Yeah, I'm alright. Thanks...Mr. Howlett."

He chuckled and shook his head as he quickly caught back up with the group. When Chuck, Logan's boss, cocked a questioning brow at him, Logan simply stated. "Sorry, she had a quick question." He quickly led the group to another area and Marie chuckled as she was still close enough to hear Logan go into a professional rant about his "favorite" piece of equipment. "And this is our most important piece of equipment. I'm sure you can tell that the conveyor system is too small to handle the workload that we do here and it causes a lot of downtime trying to keep the flow moving. This system is in desperate need of an upgrade, but unfortunately this facility isn't big enough to handle a larger conveyor."

By mid-morning break, the rumor mill was in full operation as to what the group of people were doing there. The rumors ranged from getting new, upgraded equipment to a company merger and even the rumors that the company was being sold and shut down.

One of the men slid up next to Marie as he smoked his cigarette. "So...uh...you talk to Logan a lot...he tell you anything about what's going on?"

Marie blew out her puff of smoke. "You're guess is as good as mine. I didn't even know about this little tour today."

The man laughed. "Oh come on! You mean to tell me there's no pillow talk between the two of you?"

Marie scowled at him. It wasn't the first time she had heard rumors of her and Logan sleeping together, but now that the rumors were true, it hit a little close to home. "Look, Chris, for the final time there's nothing between me and the boss, other than talking at break, and he sure as hell doesn't tell me about company business that's none of _MY_ business."

Chris gave her a look. "Uh-huh...and he just happened to be at your apartment yesterday when you were attacked."

"My car broke down and my apartment is on the route to work. I, for one, am greatful that he saw I was in trouble and stopped." She shot Chris an angry glare as she threw her cigarette down and crushed it under her foot. "It's cold out here, I'm going back in." She said over her shoulder as she stomped towards the door.

XXX

The tour was finished and Logan sat in his office as he and Chuck felt proud of how well the meeting and tour seemed to go. Chuck cleared his throat and shifted awkwardly as he obviously had something on his mind.

Logan cocked a brow at him. "Something bothering you? I think the meeting went smoothly." Logan asked, not really sure why Chuck seemed uncomfortable.

Chuck cleared his throat again and blew out a breath. "Look, Logan, we're talking as friends here...right."

Logan leaned back in his chair and folded his hands together in front of him. "Uh...ok. This sounds a little serious. What's up?"

Chuck shifted again. "There's uh...some rumors. Rumors about you and one of your employees, the girl that got hurt yesterday."

Logan dropped his head. "She's a nice girl and I saw she was being attacked. What was I supposed to do? Ignore that?"

"No! Of course not, but I'm sure you know that's not what I'm talking about. Are...are you dating her?"

Logan crinkled his brows for a moment trying to decide if he should just admit to it or play it off as them simply being just friends. He blew out a breath. "She doesn't have anyone in this town and I don't see why there should be a problem with being friends with someone. Is there any written regulation against it?"

"No, nothing in writting, but you know what's at stake here. If there is some sort of involvement, it might look bad for you."

"If things go the way we hope, I'll be there and she would be here. I don't see what the problem would be."

Chuck's brows shot up. "So there is truth to the rumors?"

Logan quickly sat up straight. "I didn't say that! All I'm saying is that if me and her were in seperate facilities, that should put an end to the rumors."

"Or it could give you a green light to be more open about a...rumored relationship. Even in seperate facilities, it could still look bad. Logan, we've known each other too long, I can't stand by and watch you get hit by the proverbial bus without giving you some kind of heads up. Look, if there is something's going on between the two of you...just be careful, ok."

Logan shook his head. "This is just between us, right?"

Chuck nodded. "Of course, it doesn't leave this room."

"She's going through a divorce. Once it's finalized...I've asked her to marry me."

Chuck slumped back in his chair in shock. "Oh shit, Logan. Are...are you sure that's what you want to do? I mean, a woman just coming off of a divorce? Is that very smart?"

Logan rubbed at his temples. "Smart? Probably not, but I don't know, I can't explain it, I just know I care about her more than I've cared about anyone for a very long time. I'd give everthing up for her, even my career."

Chuck gave him a sagely smile. "Well, let's hope it doesn't come down to that. Just be careful, Logan. Do what you can to quell these rumors...at least until after the first of the year when the announcement is made." Chuck stood. "I got to get going, but take my advice, be careful."

Logan stood and shook Chuck's hand. "Thanks for the heads up. I'll do what I can to dispel the rumors."

XXX

Marie hadn't seen Logan all day and when he still didn't meet her at the final break, she took a chance and slipped her phone from her pocket and texted him.

_Hey. Everything ok? Haven't seen you._

Logan scowled at the text and sent one back. _Are you on the floor? You know using your phone on the floor isn't allowed. Please don't make me write you up. Put it away NOW!_

Marie looked at the reply in shock and slipped the phone back in her pocket. She spent the last few hours of her shift with her head swimming that he was upset with her. When it was the end of shift, she clocked out and left, not bothering to stop by his office or texting him.


	15. Chapter 15

_**A/N:** Thank you again for the reviews and thank you to my silent readers for enjoying. More happy dirty sexy fun time coming up...with a little laugh or two thrown in. ;)_

**Chapter 15**

She opened the door of her apartment and instantly a frown came across her face. "Hey. Didn't expect to see you tonight."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Yeah...guess I should have called first. Honey, I'm sorry I was a little short with you, I had a lot going on. Can I come in?"

She opened the door wider and stepped away to let him in. After locking the door he grabbed her by the waist and pulled her tight to him, holding her a moment in a much needed, comforting hug as he spoke wearily into her hair. "It's been a long day, sweetheart and I've had a lot on my mind, I just don't know where to begin."

She pulled back a little to look into his eyes. She could see the weight of the world on him, his exhaustion, and most of all, his worry. "Tell me." She whispered against his lips before leading him to sit on the couch.

He sat with his head low and his hands clasped in front of him. "Well, the meeting itself went well, it's just what happened after that's had me unraveled all day."

"What happened?" She asked as she ran a comforting hand through his hair.

"Chuck, my boss, he gave me a warning. It seems the rumors about our relationship has spread up the ladder." He shook his head. "It's bullshit really! I mean there wasn't really anything physical between us until a few days ago...other than that kiss, but these rumors have been going around for awhile. It could be an issue for me in the near future, and Chuck just wanted to give me a little heads up so I'm not caught off guard. Honey, I'm sorry, but I can't hang out with you on breaks any more and I have to be more careful about being around you at work."

She cocked her head to the side. "Logan? Are you saying that you're ending things between us?" She couldn't help the tears that were forming in her eyes as the thought came in her mind.

He rubbed a thumb across her cheek. "Hell no. That's not what I'm saying at all. I'm just saying we can't spend as much time around each other while at work, but outside of work...well, we'll have to be careful there too. We can't get caught somewhere together, at least not until after this thing happens, then we can be more open about our relationship."

She nodded slowly. "I...uh...Logan, can you tell me what's going on? What is happening in the near future that has you so worried?"

He shook his head. "Honey, I can't tell you or anyone else, let's just say it's something big. It will be good for the company and all of us, but no one from management is allowed to talk about it."

She nodded again. "Ok, I understand, I won't ask questions and we don't need to discuss it. I was about to make dinner, will you stay?"

Logan gave her a kiss on the head and smiled down at her. "I have a better idea. Go put your dancing shoes on."

XXX

An hour later, they were over in the next town as Logan pulled into the lot of an out-of-the-way bar and grill. Marie gave him a look. "Please don't tell me you come here to fight too."

Logan chuckled. "No honey, I just do that on Sunday nights. The food here is great and they have a live band every night. I think after the last few days we've had, we both need to relax and have a little fun tonight."

They walked in and Marie smiled at the country-western band playing on stage. After they ordered their meals, Marie was surprised that the band started to play a _Willie Nelson_ song, she was more surprised when Logan took her hand and led her to the dance floor.

They danced through the song, then danced through a _David Allen Coe_ song. Marie smiled and laughed with Logan as he spun, dipped, held and boogied the night away with her. The tension of the past several days, magically melted away from them on that dance floor.

Logan spotted the waitress putting their food down on the table and turned to Marie. "I'm starving, let's go eat." He led her back to the table in time to hear a fimilar voice.

"Hey creep! Shouldn't an old man like you be in bed by now?"

Logan rolled his eyes. "Hey Wade, I thought I smelled a pile of shit around here."

Wade slapped at his knee. "Oh! So hilarious...and original...a hundred years ago."

Logan gave a smirk and a slight shrug of the shoulder. "Who do ya think came up with that little line?"

"Sure as hell not you, Logan. Had to have been some one smarter than you."

Logan rolled his eyes as he gave the dark haired woman next to Wade a hug and peck on the cheek. "Hey Ness. Still hanging around with this looser?"

She shrugged. "What can I say? He makes me laugh."

"Vanessa, Wade, this is my girlfriend, Marie. We were about to sit and eat, join us?"

Wade started to say something, but Vanessa quickly cut him off. "We'd love to."

Marie and Logan sat on one side of the table as Wade and Vanessa sat on the other, telling them to go ahead and eat while they waited for their cheeseburgers and Wade started in on Logan. "You know you really rung my bell Sunday night."

Logan shoved a bite of his steak into his mouth. "Yeah...sorry about that. You scared the hell out of me, I thought I killed you there for a second."

"For a second, you did. Well you're going down next time, grandpa." Wade chuckled.

"Anytime little bitch...anytime." Logan smirked.

Vanessa shook her head. "This is why I don't come to watch you fight. One of these days Logan might get the upper hand and actually kill you, then where would I be, Wade."

He put his arm around her shoulder and gave her a kiss on the temple. "Come on baby, Logan can't kill me as much as I can't kill him. Isn't that right Logie Bear?"

"Don't call me that, you nasty fuck."

Marie laughed. "Logie Bear. Kinda cute."

Logan grumbled while taking a sip of his beer. "Shut the fuck up...both of you."

The table erupted into laughter at Logan's expense as he continued to mutter. Vanessa turned to Marie. "You don't go to watch Logan fight do you?"

Marie gave a small smile. "This past Sunday was the first time, that's when I found out about it. Not sure why it's illegal, I mean I've seen MMA matches on t.v."

Logan and Wade shook their heads as Logan explained. "Darlin', what you see on t.v. has rules and are regulated, what me and Wade do...the only rule to winning is by tap out or knock out, anything else goes."

Wade took a pull of his beer. "Yeah...there's even been a couple times that a person's neck has been broken. Then there was that one clown who used a 2 by 4 wrapped in barbed wire to fight with. He was banned pretty fast though, but not before he blinded a couple guys."

Vanessa shook her head again. "And this is why I don't go. Honey, you and me should get together and have a girl's night while the guys do their thing."

Logan nodded. "Hey, that sounds like a good idea. This Sunday, I can drop you by their house so you girls can hang out while I kick Wade's ass."

Marie took a sip of beer and thought for a second. "I don't know. I kind of like watching you get all sweaty, your muscles rippling and watching you make Wade your bitch."

Wade crinkled his brows at Marie. "Heeeeyyyy."

Logan practically choked on his beer. "Holy shit! I didn't think it was possible, but now I love you even more. Fuck the divorce papers! Let's get married tonight!"

Wade cocked a brow. "Divorce papers? Get married?"

Marie and Logan explained Marie's situation and how they've fallen so hard and fast for one another that they're just biding their time for now. They even told them about Marie being attacked, and how Logan saved her.

Logan noticed that Vanessa was only drinking water and felt the need to comment. "No beer tonight, Ness? You on one of those fad diets or cleansing things again?"

Vanessa shook her head. "Not this time. I'm banned from alcohol for the next nine months." She smiled at Wade, who had a wide grin.

Logan's eyes popped. "Are you serious? It finally happened? That's great! I'm so happy for you, Ness! You're gonna be a great mommy." He shook Wade's hand. "Congrats man, you're gonna be an asshole dad, but a caring asshole." He chuckled.

Wade laughed. "Yeah, we just found out this morning, thought we'd come out tonight and celebrate a little."

After they ate and chatting more, all four headed to the dance floor. Marie was amazed at how well Logan danced, and very much enjoyed the time in his arms when the band played slow songs.

Marie and Logan sat back at the table to take a break as Logan watched Wade and Vanessa continue to dance. He looked over at Marie and thought about how much he really cared about her. As he turned her face to him, brushing a lock of hair away, he looked deep into her eyes.

She sat for a moment and smiled at him. "What are you doing?"

He smiled back. "Watching my future in your beautiful eyes. I see it all, honey. I see our wedding on the beach, I see our home filled with love and happiness, I see...I see our children growing up being loved." He rubbed his hand across her stomach as he leaned in for a loving kiss.

The kiss deepened as Logan, under the table, slowly slipped a hand up her thigh until it slid under her short skirt, toying with the edge of her panties. Marie slightly parted her legs to give him better access. He teased at her sweet spot with a finger as his kisses became more intense and his breath became ragged.

He broke the kiss and leaned in, whispering in her ear. "I want you now, baby." He suddenly dipped his finger into her wet desire and gave a few strokes to drive his point home.

She gripped on one of his shoulders, bitting at her lip to keep herself from crying out in her pleasure. She huffed back at him. "Yeah baby...let's get out of here."

They rushed to get up, grabbing their coats as Logan gave Wade a wave to let him know they were leaving.

He didn't drive very far when he found a dark, secluded spot to park. He practically attacked her as he began kissing her mouth feverishly, pulling her down over the bench seat of the truck.

He hiked her skirt up, pulling her panties to the side as he plunged his fingers into her, stroking frantically and huffing. "Oh god baby, you feel so good."

She writhed at his stokes, as his fingers rubbed at her spot. "Oh god Logan! Yes baby! Make me cum."

Logan smiled at her. "Your wish is my command." He thrust his fingers harder as his free hand slipped under her shirt and bra, twisting at her nipple. He felt her starting to shake as she groaned loudly. "Yes baby, cum for me." He groaned out.

She screamed out his name as he felt her wetness drip down his hand. He pulled his fingers from her, sucking them into his mouth, licking them clean. "God baby, you taste so good, best dessert ever."

He quickly unzipped his jeans, pulling them down just below his hips, freeing his rock hard member and pulled out a foil packet from his pocket. He looked at the packet, then looked at Marie, then back to the packet. "Um..."

Marie gave him a mischievous look as she took the packet from him and tossed it away. "Come here and fuck me...feel me." She huffed out.

"Oh shit." He whispered. He lined himself up to her and pushed himself in deep. He stilled for a moment to catch his breath as he felt her warmth around him. He began pumping in and out of her, slowly at first, the closer he got, the faster his thrusts became. "Oh shit baby...I need to pull out."

She grabbed at his ass. "No. Please don't. I want to feel you, please don't."

That sent him over the edge as he screamed out her name, his hot seed spilling into her as her juices exploded around him. He collapsed on top of her, shaking from his hard release as he panted into her ear. "Fuck Marie, I love you. I love you."

He repeated his love for her as he showered her face with kisses. After a moment when their euphoria calmed, they sat up, straightening their clothes. Logan had just got himself stowed away when there was a tap on his window.

Thankfully, his windows were tinted and the spot he pulled over was dark. He rolled down the window and had a slight grin as the officer looked at him in shock. "Evening, officer. Can I help you?"

The cop stammered a moment. "Uh...I thought you were some teenagers...but uh...is everything alright? You broke down or something?"

"Yeah, everything's fine, not broke down." Logan smirked.

The cop's eyes got wide. "Oh! So...you were...uh...well...I'm sure the two of you are old enough to know better and don't need me to threaten to call your parents for you to move along...right?"

Logan chuckled. "No sir, we were just leaving."

"Uh...ok then. Have a nice night." The officer rubbed the back of his neck and gave them a final stunned glance before walking back to his car.

Logan pulled off and drove a couple miles before stopping again. The pair sat and looked at each other for a moment before busting out in a fit of laughter.

Logan crossed his arms over his stomach, holding his ribs and bent slightly from laughing so hard. Through his laughter and huffs he choked out his surprise. "Oh...my...god! I...I can't...believe that j-just happened! That...that never happened before! I...I never had a c-cop...walk up on...on me! Oh my god! Oh my god!"

Marie was laughing so hard, laughter tears were streaming down her face. "I...can't believe...y-you sat there like...like it w-was a n-normal thing! C-can you believe that...that cop? I...I...call your _parents!_"

That sent the pair into another fit of roaring laughter for several minutes before they could compose themselves.

Logan wiped his own laughter tears from his face as he took a couple deep breaths. "Oh man! I really needed this tonight, I mean...everything. The dancing, joking around with Wade, you...even that cop, thank God he didn't walk up on us 2 minutes earlier, but I really did need this."

He leaned over and gave Marie a soft, loving kiss. After breaking the kiss, he looked deep into her eyes. "Thank you, baby. Thank you for being with me tonight. Thank you for walking into my life. Thank you for...for loving me."

She ran a hand through his hair. "I should be the one thanking you. You've done so much for me, I really don't know what would have happened to me if it wasn't for you."

He pulled her close to him, wrapping her into his loving embrace. They sat for several long minutes, holding each other and basking in the love they had created for one another.


	16. Chapter 16

_**A/N: **Love the reviews! Thank you all for taking the time to let me know what you think. Another guest appearance. Most of you have already figured out who would be popping up next. The wait is over! More dirty time...but not so sweet..._

**Chapter 16**

The next several weeks were going very well between the pair. Even though Logan kept his distance from Marie while at work, and it helped to quiet the rumors, they spent as much time together as they could outside of work.

She would go with him to cheer him on as he was in the ring. She learned very quickly that the fights moved location every week to stay one step ahead of law enforcement.

He had gotten her into volunteering at the pantry and helped him to deliver food boxes to elderly and disabled people in need that couldn't get out to the pantry, which she enjoyed very much, especially one elderly woman who would often mistake Marie for her granddaughter, and Logan for Marie's husband, asking if there were any babies on the way. Logan would just chuckle, give the woman a loving peck on the cheek and reply. "Not yet, grandma...but it could happen."

Marie would often spend the weekend at Logan's house, and as promised, Sophia made frittatas, sopapillas and other delicious meals for them. When they would go out to dinner, it was usually a town or two over so they wouldn't chance an accidental run-in with someone at work.

Logan would still scan around whenever they were together, still having that nagging feeling that they were being watched, but never really catch anything out of the ordinary.

They spent Christmas together and Logan put in a video call to his brother in Germany to introduce Marie to Victor. Victor was a little surprised that his younger brother was settling down, but pleased that he had found someone as loving and delightful as Marie.

"I trust my brother is treating you well. If he gives you any problems, just let me know and I'll make a trip to the states to kick his ass." Victor joked with Marie.

Marie giggled. "I'll keep that in mind, but Wolverine is pretty protective of me, I'm sure he won't let Logan do anything stupid."

Vic's brows shot up. "Oh, so you've met Wolverine? Well, this is something. It took almost a year for Wolverine to finally come out and meet Logan's previous mate."

Logan rubbed Marie's back before replying to Victor. "Well, that was because I chose Mia, it took that long for Wolverine to accept that Mia was right for me. This time, it seems that me and the beast are in agreement of our choice of mate." He gave Marie a kiss on her head.

Victor chuckled. "Well, that's great. Any little cubs on the way?"

Both Marie and Logan blushed a little before Logan answered. "Well...not yet. We're not really trying, but we're not exactly being careful either."

"Ah! Letting nature take it's course. Good! That's the way it should be, little bro."

They chatted for a few more minutes before Marie excused herself to help Sophia in the kitchen. Logan visually looked relieved that Marie had went into another room.

"What's up little bro? You know I can always tell when something's wrong." Victor prodded.

Logan ran a hand through his hair. "Ok, look, Marie is going through a divorce, it's supposed to be uncontested, but it seems like it's taking forever. I'm not saying her husband is behind this, but I keep feeling like I'm being watched. Then there's some other strange shit going on."

Vic cocked a brow. "Like what?"

"A last month, Marie's car was disabled and then she was attacked and almost raped by a couple punk assholes. I took care of them, but her car... Then I sent her a couple of letters a few weeks ago, but she never got them."

"Letters? Why did you send her letters?"

Logan shrugged. "You know we grew up in a time before phones and computers. I just like writting letters, that's all."

Vic chuckled. "Yeah...that last letter you sent me was damn near a book! By the way, don't send me anymore long letters like that, I had to pay the overseas charges for that, you know."

"Oh. Sorry. Anyway, I haven't told Marie this, but a few days ago, my phone was acting up. I took it in and the guy at the cell phone store said that it was hacked and all of my text messages had been copied, even the ones that had been deleted, I didn't know that was possible."

"Yeah, it's possible. Even if you delete something, it's still there in back-up files, those are permanent. Whoever did that knew what they were doing. What about her family? Can they help keep an eye on her?"

Logan shook his head. "Her dad took off when her mom told him she was pregnant, then her mom died of an overdose when she was 3. Her aunt and uncle raised her, but the uncle had a heart attack when she was 14. Her aunt moved them here to Colorado and the aunt passed away about 3 years ago after a battle with cancer. She doesn't have any other family."

"Damn...poor kid. Ok, I got some government people in the states, let me make some calls and I'll get this guy checked out for you. What's his name?"

"Scott Summers."

Victor's brows shot high. "Summers? Christopher Summers kid?"

"I don't know who his daddy is, all I know is that they're rich, very rich, and Scooter is involved with Friends of Humanity."

"Shit." Victor huffed as he ran a hand through his hair. "I-I'm sorry Jimmy, I can't get too close to this one. As much as I want to help you, I can't use my usual contacts. Summers is government contracted, he's high level, untouchable. The best I can do is maybe go the back way and put some off-book guys on you. I know someone in New York who leads a very specialized team, maybe they can catch whoever is following you and fucking with your mate."

Logan nodded, he knew better than to ask Victor too many questions about his contacts. "Whatever you can do would help. Thanks."

"Anytime bro. Ok...let me get the kids so they can talk to their uncle."

A few minutes later, Marie leaned against the door frame smiling at the interaction Logan was having with his niece and nephew.

His niece, 9, was speaking to him. "We really miss you, Uncle Logan."

"I know darlin', I miss you too. Maybe after your little brother or sister is born, I can come see you. Would you like that, pumpkin?"

"Yeah! You promise?"

"I promise Lizzy."

His nephew, 4, spoke loudly. "Daddy said the doctor look inside mommy's tummy and we gonna have a brother!"

"Really? You excited to be a big brother, Tommy?"

"No!"

"No? Why not? When he gets older, you get to play baseball and football with him, and do all the stuff yucky girls don't like to do."

"Nuh-huh. Daddy said being _your_ big brother is a pain in the butt! I don't want my butt to hurt!"

Logan let out a roar of a laugh. "Yeah well...your daddy is a pain in my butt too, so I guess that makes us even. Naw...you'll see, when your brother gets here, the two of you will be like peas in a pod."

"Uncle Logan, how come he has to live inside mommy's tummy?"

Logan's brows shot up. "Uh...well...um..."

Marie chuckled and took that opportunity to rescue him. "Logan...dinner is ready."

"Oh. Ok. Sorry kids, I gotta go. Uncle loves you, be good for mommy and daddy, Merry Christmas."

The kids replied in unison. "Love you uncle, Merry Christmas."

Logan turned off the video and wiped his hand across his brow. "Whew! Good timing, babe." He got up and walked across the room, pulled Marie by the waist and planted a big kiss on her lips. "You really saved my bacon there, thank you."

Marie chuckled. "So, um, why does Tommy's brother have to live inside his mommy's tummy?"

Logan rolled his eyes. "Well...I don't know about Susan's tummy, but if it were your tummy, it would be the warmest, most comfortable, best place to live. In fact...can I move in there?" He grabbed at her stomach and started to tickle her as she laughed and shrieked, trying to run away from him.

XXX

After the first of the year, there was a big meeting at work. Everyone from both shifts were gathered in the cafeteria as murmers about what might be going on filled the room.

"I knew it! I knew it. The company is being shut down. We're all out of a job." The man next to Marie muttered.

"I don't think they would tell us if that were the case, Julio. I mean, usually companies just lock the doors and employees don't know about it until they get to work, right?" Marie said, trying to stay positive.

"Those are just the ones you hear about on the news. A couple years ago, the factory my wife worked at went belly up. They pulled every one into a meeting like this, just to say don't come to work tomorrow. We're still feeling the pinch on that one, she's not making nearly the kind of money now that she was making then. She already lost her retirement pension, we can't afford to lose mine too."

Marie nervously bit at her nails when she saw Logan, Chuck and a few others from management step up in front of the crowd.

Chuck began speaking as the crowd settled down. "I'm sure all of you have noticed the tours and meetings, there will be some big changes coming and you all should know about it."

Julio, feeling like he had nothing to lose, blurted out. "If we're out of a job, just say it and get it over with."

Chuck raised his brows. "No, that's not what this is about. It's good news, really. The company is doing very well and we are expanding. We're opening a new, larger facility in the Southland area. This facility will remain open and will transform to direct store shipping only. The new facility will become the ecommerce and bulk shipping site. We're giving all of you the opportunity to transfer to the new facility, if you're intrested. We expect to have the new facility in full operation by the first of Apirl."

The crowd went into applause and cheers for the news. Chuck put his hands up to quiet the crowd. "Ok, ok. I figured everyone would be excited about this. If you're intrested in transferring, speak to Mr. Howlett about it." He clasped a hand on Logan's shoulder and gave him a smile. "Logan is being promoted to facility director, he will oversee the full operations of the new site."

Again the crowd erupted into cheers and congratulations for Logan. After the meeting was dismissed, Marie had to fight the urge to run and jump into Logan's arms to give him her own congratulations.

Since it was the end of her shift, she decided to give him her congrats in private. As she started to head out, she caught his eye and gave him a smile. He smiled back and nodded to her before turning his attention back to the others surrounding him to shake his hand or give him pats on the back.

XXX

Marie had just stepped out of the shower when she heard the front door opening. She wrapped a towel around her and stepped into the hallway when she heard his voice.

"Wow! Now that's what I like to come home to." Logan grinned at her.

They had exchanged keys with each other as a type of Christmas present so they each could let themselves into the other's home when they needed. Marie jumped into Logan's arms and gave him a big kiss. "Logan! I'm so happy for you! Why didn't you tell me you were getting promoted?"

"I couldn't darlin'. I'm sorry, but the higher ups didn't want it to leak out, something about stock trading. Damn this has been the hardest month! So many times I was about to bust to tell you." He gave her a deep kiss and carried her towards the bedroom, yanking off the towel and tossing it towards the bathroom as he walked by.

He laid her onto the bed and quickly pulled his clothes off. He gave her a deep kiss on her lips, pushing his tongue into her mouth, seeking out her sweetness. He trailed his kisses along her jawline, down to her neck where he sucked and nipped at the soft flesh.

She arched her back, wrapping a leg around his waist, and moaned out to him. "Oh yes baby, please."

"Nuh-huh...not yet." He whispered against her neck before sliding himself down to give attention to her ample breast. He slid down further, his tongue running along her stomach. He lifted her leg to him, kissing and nipping at the inside of her thigh before working his way to the warm, dripping sweet spot between her legs.

Her fingers tangled into his hair as she moaned and writhed against his probing tongue and suckling mouth. "Oh god yes! Baby yes!"

He sucked and lapped at her sweet explosion before shifting himself. Marie could see his head slowly rise between her legs and hear the low growl come from him.

She looked down and saw the bright gold-amber of his eyes as he slowly began stalking up towards her. "W-Wolverine?" She sputtered nervously.

He didn't say anything, simply another low, throaty growl as he continued his slow stalk.

Her mind was racing, she had never seen Wolverine like this, the look in his eyes wild and dangerous. _Oh shit! He slipped his chain. What did Logan say? Stay calm. Don't show fear. No sudden movements. Relax. Don't fight him._ Marie tried to relax, tried to reason with him. "Wolverine, honey. I-I think I want Logan back now...I'll-I'll play with you later. Ok?"

He cocked his head to the side at Logan's name. Suddenly he pounced up, inches from her face as he growled. "No! _My_ mate!" In a forceful move, he flipped her over, bringing her to her knees. From behind he thrust hard and deep into her as she cried out.

He continued his erratic hard thrusts as she balled the sheets into her fists. "W-Wolverine! Y-you're h-hurting m-me! Gugh! S-stop!"

He ignored her pleas, moaning and grunting with his forceful thrusts, he leaned down hissing in her ear. "My mate. You're mine. No one else. _Mine!"_ His head snapped back before dropping and bitting hard into the nape of her neck.

She screamed out as she felt his fangs break the skin, burying deep into her as his tongue lapped at the blood. A final hard thrust and a loud growl as his seed shot into her. Stilling himself, he pulled his head back as he huffed out. "Mine. Mine. Mine." He repeated in hushed whispers, staying inside her until he became soft.

Wolverine collapsed to his side, pulling Marie tight against him as he looked at her with heavy lidded eyes, brushing the sweat matted hair from her face. He gave a soft growl, closed his amber eyes and drifted to sleep.


	17. Chapter 17

_**A/N:** Wooo...ok that last chapter was a rough one and looks like it didn't sit too well with some of you. Well, all I will say is there was a reason for Wolverine's actions and I hope it will be explained here..._

**Chapter 17**

In his heavy sleep, he finally rolled to his back, releasing her from his vice-like grip. Marie slowly climbed out of bed, being sure not to wake the sleeping beast then softly padded out of the room and into the bathroom.

She checked in the mirror, doing the best she could to inspect the mark he left behind. She sighed at the clump of hair that was caked with blood.

As she let the shower run over her, gently cleaning the tender area of the wound, she jumped when she felt strong arms snake around her waist from behind, spinning to face him as she pressed herself against the shower wall, her eyes wide and filled with fear.

He lowered his head and quietly spoke. "Marie, honey, I'm so, so very sorry that happened."

"Logan?" She questioned in a whisper, relieved when he looked up at her with his hazel brown eyes.

"Yeah. Baby, I'm sorry. It just happend so fast, I didn't...didn't have time to react, time to stop him." He pulled her to him, burying his face in her neck as he let out a single sob.

She could feel him trembling against her, feel him fighting back his sobs as she wrapped her arms around him in a comforting embrace. "I know baby, I know, it's ok. What did happen anyway?"

He shook his head. "I don't know. I've been feeling it all week. I've been so busy with work and meetings, this promotion...then today, after my promotion was announced, all the people coming to congratulate me...I think Wolverine got jealous of all the attention _I_ was getting. I think...maybe...I think he was feeling neglected and got a little too agressive with you, I think, maybe he was trying to establish his dominance. That's one of the many problems I have with the beast, we both fight for control and when he thinks I'm the one in more control, more dominant, he becomes agressive, tries to prove he's stronger, better, more virile than me."

She pulled back and ran a hand through his hair. "Maybe it was partly my fault too."

He looked at her in shock. "What? No! How could it be your fault? You've been great. I'm the happiest I've been for several decades! Marie, you're the best thing that's come into my life since Mia, I couldn't ask for anyone better."

"But I haven't been very attentive to Wolverine. It's easy to forget that there's another...person inside of you. Wolverine hasn't come out to me for a few months, and I haven't asked for him to come out. I just need to remember to spend time with him like I spend time with you, show him that I love him as much as I love you, show him that that the two of you are equals and that he doesn't have to fight with you to prove himself with me."

Logan thought about this a moment before he slowly nodded. "I guess...I need to remember to allow him out around you now and then, but I get so worried that he might hurt you, like he did today, I just...I get scared to let him out around you."

Logan checked the mark his beast left behind and scowled at how deep it was. While helping her to clean and dress it, he made the mental note to give the beast a good chewing out over it. After, Logan suggested they go out to celebrate his promotion.

XXX

The pair were having a good time, laughing and dancing. Logan had noticed a couple of men at the bar that seemed to be watching him, without looking like they were watching.

He got up, walking towards the bar. His body tensed as he prepared for the confrontation. He relaxed when he noticed one of the men put his hand to a hip and extended his pinky and ring fingers, a secret signal that only Logan and Victor knew.

Logan continue to the bar and got the bartender's attention. "A pitcher of draft and 2 glasses." As soon as the bartender turned to pour his beer, he pulled his phone from his pocket and put it to his ear and muttered to the man next to him. "Tell my brother thanks."

The man lifted his mug of beer to his mouth, keeping his eyes focused forward while quietly speaking. "Major Creed has put the 2 of us and 2 others on you. You and your girl there will have 24/7 protection. The major will contact you soon."

Logan paid for the beer, while pocketing his phone. "Thanks." He said in the direction of the bartender, but meant for the man next to him.

As he went back to the table, he continued to scan around. He was stopped in his tracks at the sight of "Bambi." She gave him a sly smile. "Hey Logan. Haven't seen you at the bar in a while. You trolling this place now, trying to avoid me?"

Logan grunted. "I'm not avoiding anyone, Bambi."

"Tina!" She huffed.

Logan rolled his eyes. "Whatever. You gonna keep stalking me? You that desperate? Look, I got a girl now...deal with it and buzz off slut."

She tossed her head back in a laugh. "Well isn't the mighty king of the cage so full of himself? I just happen to be here with some friends, not giving you a second thought. Sheesh...talk about conceded!" She flipped her hair at him as she walked away.

As he got back to the table with their beer, Marie gave him a look. "Wasn't that the girl from the gas station? Is she the one who's been following us?"

He shrugged a shoulder. "Yeah, that's the girl. I don't know if she's the one following us or not, but it's gonna be over soon. Stay cool...see those guys at the bar?" Marie gave a quick glance and nodded as Logan continued. "They're working for Victor, he's got people on both of us to try and catch whoever has been stalking us."

"And what if it's all in your head?" Marie questioned, trying to not sound like she was accusing Logan of imagining things.

He shrugged. "Then Victor will have a good laugh at me for being paranoid, but at least I will feel better knowing that you're safe."

She gave his hand a squeeze. "I'll feel better knowing that you're safe too...Logie Bear."

"Don't call me that." He grumbled.

As they continued with their date, Marie took a moment to talk shop. "So, when do you go over to the new facility?"

"End of the month. They'll start setting up the equipment and getting inventory in right away. Anyone transferring in will start next month for the shake down. I know corporate projects full operation first of Apirl, but I'm hoping to be fully staffed and ready to go by mid March."

"I'd like to transfer over with you." Marie smiled.

Logan shook his head. "I'd like that too darlin', but you can't. Part of the deal for the promotion is that we work in seperate facilities, but at least now we can be more open about our relationship."

XXX

By the end of the month, Logan had moved to his new office, smiling as he set the framed picture of Marie on his desk. He looked perplexed for a moment when he heard the unfamiliar ring tone.

He quickly reached in his pocket and pulled out the phone. He hadn't been through anything like this before, but Victor had put an emergency plan in place years ago, and as soon as Logan discovered the men that Victor had keeping an eye on him and Marie, he went out and bought an untraceable burner phone.

"Yeah." He smiled when he heard his brother's voice on the other end.

"Hey bro. Got news, not sure if you're gonna like it."

"I don't like any of this. What you got?" Logan asked as he sank into his chair and started to lean back when the chair suddenly went back further than he expected. "Fuck!"

"Jimmy? What's wrong? What happened? You ok?" Victor barked out very concerned about his little brother.

Logan gave a chuckle. "Yeah...new chair and I haven't adjusted it yet. You were saying?"

Victor let out an audible sigh of relief. "Ok, anyway, Bret and his crew spotted the guy that's been watching you and Marie. He ran a check and the guy is a private detective."

"Private Dick? Why? What for?"

Well...he's been hired by Summers. That's all we got so far, but-"

"Hold on. Got another call."

Logan reached in his other pocket and pulled out the other phone. He scowled when he saw the caller ID was Marie. "Honey? It's not your break time. Everything ok?"

"No!" She choked out. "Logan, a guy came to work, he served me with papers! Scott is suing _ME_ for divorce! He-he is saying that _I_ cheated on _him_. There's also something about spousal abandonment and mental anguish! He's suing for five thousand a month for emotional distress and spousal support! Can he do that? Logan...I don't even make five grand a month!"

Logan groaned. "Ok honey, I think I know what's going on. You have sick time don't you? Tell Rick you're not feeling well and need to go home. Go to my place and I'll be there soon."

"Yeah, I got some sick days. Logan? What's happening?"

"I'll explain when I get there. Just go to my house, don't stop anywhere and don't answer the phone for anyone but me."

"Ok. Logan...I love you."

"Love you too darlin'." Logan had a quick thought. "Hey Marie!"

"Yeah?"

"Hold on a sec. Don't hang up, just hold on."

He switched over to the other phone. "Vic, you hear that?"

"With our hearing? Of course, both sides of the conversation. What a fucking prick!"

"Tell me about it. You got eyes on her right now?"

"Sending the text now." There was a pause before Victor spoke again. "Yeah, got eyes on her. Already know what you're thinking. You're a go."

"What's the shadow rolling in?"

"Black Expedition, no markings."

Logan went back to the other phone. "Ok honey, you'll have one of Vic's men following you at a distance and they'll be outside the house. It's a black Expedition, so don't get too worried about it. Just drive normal and don't call any attention to yourself or the guy following you. I'll be home shortly."

"Ok. Logan? Are you sure all of this is necessary?"

"No, not really, but I just want to make sure you're safe. It's gonna be alright, I promise."

After he hung up with Marie, he turned his attention back to the other phone. "Vic? Does your guys know what this detective has on us?"

"Not at the moment. What do you want to do?"

Logan cocked a brow. "How do you feel about a kidnapping?"


	18. Chapter 18

_**A/N:** Thank you all for reading and taking the time to review. teamsophia...yes, I think we can stop to get donuts. LOL._

**Chapter 18**

Bret and his men got a hold of the detective, having him contact Scott telling him that he needed to meet and Scott needed to bring all of the evidence he had compiled with him.

Logan gave the detective a smirk when Bret's men walked him into the house. "I hope Scooter is paying you well. You just really don't know you fucked with the wrong one this time, do you?"

"So what then? You going to kill me or something?" The detective challenged.

"No. I'm not an animal and I'm not stupid either, but this shit is going to stop today."

The detective grumbled. "Not an animal? Could have fooled me, fucking mutie."

Logan gave a low growl, ready to rip this guy's head off when the door opened as Bret walked in with Scott.

"Jerry? What's going on here?" Scott questioned the detective.

Logan gave him a stare. "You tell us, you asshole! You have me and Marie followed for months and now you think you're going to bleed her dry because she's moved on with her life? Peice of shit lowlife! You really think there's any court in the world that would let you do that? You're either very stupid or very spoiled."

Scott smirked as he patted his briefcase. "I got some damming evidence here that says Marie left me to carry on an elicit affair with you. It probably wouldn't be so bad...if it wasn't for the fact that she chose to dump me for a goddamn, disgusting _mutant!"_

Bret jerked the briefcase from Scott and opened it, tossing the pictures and papers to the table. Scott waved a hand. "Whatever. Burn them if you want, I got plenty of copies when this goes to court. Oh! I think I could add kidnapping charges and threats to the lawsuit." He glanced towards Jerry.

Bret scoffed. "Your detective was politely asked to join us here today and walked into the house on his own accord. Isn't that right?"

"If you call you and 3 other huge guys surrounding me as being polite...I guess then." Jerry responded defiantly.

"Did me or any of my men touch you? Was there a weapon? Did any of us make any type of effort to deny you to walk away? In fact, there's the door, you can leave anytime you want."

Jerry lowered his head and slightly shook it. "No. No weapon, no one put a hand on me, but you were intimidating, making me _feel_ as if I had no choice but to comply."

Scott shook his head. "Fuck!" He huffed out. "Shit Jerry! That doesn't have much of a chance in court and you know it, they really walked a grey line. Unless they _forced_ you to come here...you really fucked up on this one."

Marie shot a look at Scott. "Oh, you want to talk about a grey line? You know damn good and well I left you because you were screwing Jean! Now you want to twist it around because I'm seeing someone? You're a real piece of work Scott Summers! I can't believe all the years I've known you, I never saw any of this."

Scott sneered at her. "No, all you saw was my family's money. My parents paid for the wedding, house, cars..._everything!_ Hell...you didn't even bother with going to college, as long as me and my family could support you. Classic golddigger move."

"That's not true! I wanted to go to college, but you wouldn't let me!" Marie argued.

"Can you prove it?" Scott smirked.

Logan cleared his throat. "Actually, she can. I found her college application while helping her go through some boxes. It's dated from 3 years ago. I also found letters from other colleges, one of which is UCLA and the other NYU, accepting her application. I'm sure it wouldn't be hard to convince a judge that the only reason she didn't accept is because those colleges are far away from Colorado and I'm sure you had something to do with convincing her to not go."

Marie nodded. "In fact, I remember saying in my letter to NYU that I had to decline because my husband's career wouldn't allow him to relocate and that it would be too far to commute. I'm sure they would still have a copy of that letter in their files somewhere."

Scott's face visibly dropped at that bit of information. Logan gave another smirk as he dropped more bombshells. "And it's funny, for someone who's not intrested in furthering their education, the first thing Marie did when she got hired on was fill out the paperwork for the company's tuition reimbursement plan. That benefit will kick in when she's been with the company for a year, but she's already made her choice of college and what courses she will study."

Scott shook his head. "Well none of that means a damn thing. There's still the issue of you leaving me for...a freak!"

Logan laughed. "Oh, did you forget how your little tart was so proud to show off her fiancé on the news? I'm sure it won't be too hard to get copies of that footage, you know the one, the hate mongers FOH group that came through here..._before_ you hired your little private dick here. As for me being a mutant? One, prove it. Two, so what? You think a judge is gonna care? Just because you and your friends don't like people who are different, there's no law against it."

Scott scoffed. "Actually, I had Jerry on Marie before the FOH march. Got pictures of the two of you hanging out together, smoking together at work, her visiting you at your volunteer place, even pictures of her going to your house the day after the march.

"I was going to the pantry to get food, Scott!" Marie barked out.

"Mr Howlett, sir. You should take a look at this." Bret said as he was looking through the papers that included the copied texts from Logan's hacked phone, the letters Marie never got, saying how much he loved her and couldn't wait for the day he would make her Mrs. Howlett, and the slew of pictures of the pair on dates, dancing, kissing, arms around one another that Scott had brought with him.

Logan looked at the pictures that had Bret concerned. The pictures were from the day that Marie was attacked, showing Wolverine fighting with the punks, claws extended and one picture showing the claws running through the one who got a collapsed lung and surgery for his troubles.

"You-you set this up? Just to get some bullshit evidence on Marie trying to prove that she somehow wronged you? You're sicker than I thought!" Logan growled.

"Hey! Wait a minute! I had nothing to do with Marie getting attacked, what can you expect from that kind of neighborhood? But it does show evidence that you're a freak and that will go a long way for me."

Marie rolled her eyes. "Like Logan said, there's nothing illegal with being a mutant. You're an idiot, Scott."

Scott let out a chuckle. "Marie, you always was a stupid girl. Never did see the kind of power and influence my family has. Friends of Humanity has members from all walks of life, including lawyers _and_ judges, like judge Pearson, the signature on those papers you got this morning, and who will be presiding over the case in court. It may not be illegal to be a mutant, but I'm sure he'll see things my way. By the time I'm through with you, you won't have a penny to your name and Logan here...well, let's see how long he sticks around when he's got to pay for everything for you, including your spousal support. You should have just turned a blind eye to me and Jean and stayed, would have been easier for you. It's not too late, just come home with me right now and all this will go away."

Logan's eyes flashed. "You fucker! You fucked with Marie's car, letting her be in danger for what? Money? Because she left you? They were gonna fucking rape her, could have killed her if I hadn't showed up when I did!"

"Wait! What? Fuck with her car? What the hell are you talking about? I didn't do anything to her car!" Scott protested.

"My battery and some wires were missing, Scott. Logan said that there wasn't anything that showed the car was broken into and that it had to be someone with a key. My back up key went missing a few months before I left you. Did you take it?"

Scott looked at Marie in shock. "I didn't take it. After you left, I was moving some furniture and found it under the bookshelf in the den...along with a shit ton of dust and some coins, you never was a very good housekeeper. It must have dropped and got kicked under there. I gave it to Jerry so he could put a GPS tracker on your car, more proof of you coming here to Logan's house. Jerry? What do you know about the battery and wires?"

Jerry shifted a minute. "I wasn't getting any good pictures of them together in a romantic fashion to help you make your case. All I was getting was them talking outside of their work and sometimes them going out to eat, but it looked more like friends than anything else. I figured if her car wouldn't start, she would call him and, being at her place, they might let their guard down and maybe I could get a picture of a kiss or something...something that might be more concrete of an affair."

Marie laughed loudly. "We were just friends...until that weekend you idiot!"

Logan was seething. "You mean to tell me you were there the whole time, sitting in your car or somewhere watching her getting attacked and you did _nothing!"_

Logan lunged at Jerry, grabbing him by the collar. "I'll fucking rip your guts out!" He screamed out as Bret, his men and even Scott grabbed hold of Logan pulling him back.

Once Logan released Jerry, Scott glared at his hired man. "How dare you put Marie's life in jeopardy like that? That's not what I asked you to do! You're fired! Get the hell out of here now! Once I tell my father what you did, you'll never get another contract from us again!"

Logan straightened to his full height. "I think you got bigger problems than that, bub." He turned to Bret. "You get all that?"

Bret smirked. "Every word." He reached into his shirt and turned off the concealed microphone.

Logan turned to Scott with a cocked brow. "You really want to take this to court, Scooter? We got everything. Your admition of your affair with Jean, you trying to manipulate Marie to stay with you, you stalking her, stalking me, putting your wife's life in danger, even your bias judge friend. Take this to court if you want, but we'll make sure it goes to a court that you don't have any friends at, and in front of a judge who doesn't care about a person being a mutant."

Scott chuckled. "You have no idea the kind of reach my family has, or the kind of reach Friends of Humanity has."

"I got friends too." Logan stated with a dark undertone.

Scott looked over with shock when he heard a crackling. Bret began slowly pulling his hands apart as the electric flashes between them grew larger. One of Bret's men made a flick of his wrist as a large blaze of fire suddenly jumped to life in the fireplace and another of his men suddenly vanished from sight, only to reappear behind Scott, making him jump.

"We're everywhere, and we're not going anywhere anytime soon. You and your hate group should get that through your thick, prejudice heads." Bret said with a smirk.

Marie wrapped an arm around Logan's waist. "Scott, I'm not going to allow you to control me any more." She looked up at Logan and gave a smile, remembering Wolverine's request next time she saw Scott. "You can take your money, the house, your family, even Jean and shove it straight up your ass!"

Logan's eyes flashed to the full amber and Wolverine let out a joyful howl. "Woo! Tell 'em mate!"

XXX

After the house was cleared, Logan wrapped his arms around Marie. "I don't know what's going to happen next, but at least we know Scooter or his hired dick won't be bothering us anymore."

Marie gave a soft kiss to his lips. "We'll worry about what happens next in the morning. Right now...come here, Wolverine." She jerked Logan hard against her as his eyes flashed to the amber.

Wolverine lowered his head. "You're not still mad at me for the last time?"

She ran a hand through his hair. "No honey, I'm not mad, but you do need to learn not to be so rough. I might have to keep a rolled up newspaper to smack you on the nose until you learn to be good though." She chuckled.

"I'll be good, I promise to be good." Wolverine smiled excitedly as Marie led him down the hall towards the bedroom.


	19. Chapter 19

_**A/N:** Well here we are...final chapter. Will Scott get his come upin's? Will Logan and Marie have their happy ever after? Will there be any more surprises for our lovebirds? Hey...what happened to Victor?_

_Thank you all for reading, enjoying and the wonderful reviews. I hope this ending was worth the wait. :)_

**Chapter 19**

Three weeks after the incident, Marie received the final divorce papers, with Scott's signature already on it. All she had to do was sign it and send it to the court for processing.

There was also a check for $250,000 that Marie realized was Scott's way to have her not persue any charges that could have been filed against him. She decided to keep the money and use it towards starting her college courses in business management in June at the University of Denver, rather than waiting for the company time table of a year for the tuition benefit.

Logan wanted her to file charges on Scott, for his role in putting her in danger and for the stalking, but finally accepted that turning over the evidence they had of the judge's biasness, which eventually led to an investigation and caused him to be removed from the bench was good enough.

They had also learned that Jerry had lost favor with the Summers family and was now struggling to keep his business going as word had gotten around of his shady behavior to make a case. Marie and Logan figured it wouldn't be long before any potential clients for the detective would dry up and he would be forced to go into another line of occupation.

The best poetic justice that Marie had discovered, through some mutual friends, was that one evening Scott had come home early to find Jean in bed with another man. It was obvious from the red glowing eyes of the lanky womanizing Cajun gambler, he was a mutant.

After being caught in such a compromising situation, Jean had no choice but to admit that the only reason she joined the FOH was because of the social influences the group could afford to her, which included being introduced to Scott. (Now if _that_ wasn't a golddigger move!)

Scott kicked her out of his house on the spot, causing such a scene, one of the neighbors called the police, adding more embarrassment to the situation.

For Logan, his poetic justice came in the form of a video call with Victor. It seems that the US military had decided to close their contract with Summers firm, stating that they could contract the chemicals through another company at a cheaper rate. This caused a big financial hit to the company and the stock shares to drop significantly, costing the Summers family several million dollars.

By mid May, with the new facility in full swing, Logan and Marie took a 2 week vacation from work. The first stop on their vacation, they stood on the sandy beach as the water lapped at their feet and a slight chill in the California air, but neither one cared about that as they happily proclaimed their "I Do's!"

As Logan leaned in for his wedding kiss, he brushed his hand through Marie's hair. "I love you so much, Mrs. Howlett. You've made us both very happy."

His eyes flashed a bright amber and Wolverine snorted out a nod of agreement. "Very happy, mate."

XXX

The second destination on the vacation, the pair had went to Germany to visit Victor and his family. Victor and Susan were sad that they had to miss the wedding, but with Colby being a newborn, he was still too young for plane travel.

By the third day of their arrival, everyone had noticed Marie getting sick, vomiting and looking pale. She just blew it off to the German cuisine being heavier and richer than what she was accustomed to.

Victor, still very protective of his new cub, insisted that Susan take Marie to get some flu medicine and whatever else necessary to ensure little Colby wouldn't pick up a virus.

When Susan and Marie came back from the store, Logan was so intent on playing with the children and laughing with Victor, he missed what the girls were saying. "Come on Susan! I don't think that's what it is, in fact we're starting to think it's not going to happen. You're being dramatic."

"Just do it anyways. If nothing else, it would rule out one reason why you're suddenly sick." Susan was saying as she prodded Marie down the hall.

About 5 minutes later, the men heard Susan let out a loud squeal. They both jumped up, claws out and in fight mode when they heard Susan squeal again. "Oh my God! It's positive! You're pregnant!"

Logan stood like a statue in the hall, eyes popped and jaw dropped as Victor laughed and slapped Logan on the back. "I think Colby's diaper needs changed if you'd like to practice...daddy!"

Marie came out of the room with a slight smile on her lips. "I guess you heard that?"

Logan nodded his head as Susan laughed. "You'd better close your mouth there Logan, before you start catching flies."

Logan nodded again as he took several gulps trying to find his voice before he could finally squeak out. "P-p...pregnant?"

**_End._**

**_Thank you all for reading. Until next time...Peace and Love to you all, my friends._**


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